#Do You Know About CibO?

[bobbiedlifeinphil]

Taste Italy in Cebu: BobbieD & LisaD's Cibo Adventure!

[anitalenia]

₊ ⊹.𖥔 ݁ ˖ 𝐒𝐔𝐆𝐀𝐑 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑 .𖥔 ݁ ˖༘⋆𐦍⊹₊ ⋆

⋆˙⟡♡ 𝐒𝐔𝐆𝐀𝐑 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑. ✧･ﾟ: * 𝔀𝓮𝓵𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓔𝓾𝓭𝓸𝓻𝓪𝓼, 𝓽𝓻𝓪𝓿𝓮𝓵𝓮𝓻. 𝓲𝓽 𝓼𝓮𝓮𝓶𝓼 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝔀𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓭. 𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓮, 𝓲'𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓬𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝔂𝓸𝓾 . ⋆˙⟡♡✧ ℕ𝔸ℕ𝔸𝕄𝕀 𝕂𝔼ℕ𝕋𝕆 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑘 𝑤𝑜𝑜𝑑. 𝑡𝘩𝑎𝑛𝑘𝑓𝑢𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑡𝘩𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑎𝑛 𝑒𝑡𝘩𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙 𝑤𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑡𝘩𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑤𝑎𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔. 𝑎 𝑤𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑡𝘩 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝘩𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑤𝘩𝑜 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓰𝓸𝓷𝓷𝓪 𝓫𝓮 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓻𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 . . . ₊˚⊹.* ♡ *.⊹˚₊ 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐀𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃 ✧‧₊˚

၄.၃ ݁ ˖ִ ࣪₊ ⊹˚ 𝓹𝓪𝓲𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰 ₊˚✧ 𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕧𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕣! nαnαmí kєntσ x 𝕕𝕒𝕣𝕜 𝕗𝕒𝕚𝕣𝕪! rєαdєr

၄.၃ ݁ ˖ִ ࣪₊ ⊹˚ 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼 𝓽𝓸 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀 ₊˚✧ the reader will have very long hair and dark navy blue eyes for the sake of the story. I tried to be as vague as possible in every other aspect. this will also be in multiple parts, like a mini series. I’m not sure how many parts there will be 😔

၄.၃ ݁ ˖ִ ࣪₊ ⊹˚ 𝓪𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓪𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓲𝓪 𝓼𝓪𝔂𝓼 ₊˚✧ I took a different approach when writing this than I usually do, or in other words a different writing style than usual. Tbh, I know it’s not my best writing but it’s not the worst either. So please tell me if the writings good, I’ll definitely appreciate it !! Also, Sugar Water is one of my favorite songs by Cibo Matto, I definitely recommend it 😫✨. Thank you, and enjoy the story ✨ nanami header and gray sparkle divider made by me 💖

⋆˙⟡♡ 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑷𝑨𝑹𝑻 𝑶𝑵𝑬 𐙚 ‧₊˚ . 𝜗𝜚𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝜗𝜚𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝜗𝜚𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒓 . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁

⋆⭒˚. ࣪˖ ִֶָཐིཋྀ 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐋𝐄𝐆 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 the sun was quickly setting — either that, or the trees were so thick it made the sky look black.

Nanami couldn’t be sure; he was too focused on the pain in his leg and the pounding in his head that made it hard for him to think clearly, his vision blurring with every pulse.

Was it day? Had it been only hours since he escaped with barely his life? How long had he been wandering through these dark woods with nothing but his own wits about him?

Nanami had no clue.

Long enough for twigs to stick in his hair that’s for certain, long enough for mud to cling to the sweat on his skin and stain the fabric of his clothes. Long enough for his mind to blur the reality of hours and minutes that time itself seemed to stretch and bend forever.

He was sure he was leaving a rather noticeable blood trail behind him for those beasts to follow him and yet it seems they hadn’t — they must be too busy sucking out the marrow of his companions to bother with him.

Nanami couldn’t argue with that reasoning, however. With an injury like his, bleeding out like he was, he was bound to wither away eventually; he was already a walking corpse.

A morbid thought, but his macabre reality.

The forest floor was brown and black slush, muddy from the light rain that squished and sloshed under his boots. His glasses were dotted with water and his leg shot pain straight up his spine with every dreaded step forward yet Nanami wouldn’t give up — he couldn’t.

Not when his boots sunk into the mud and he had to pull his legs out of the earth to move, not when he smeared water on his glasses when he’d push them up the bridge of his nose, not when every step felt like a millennia of war battling in his calf… he smelt of his own blood and misery yet he conquered on, further into the dark wood with splinters in his palms and blisters on his toes.

A part of him was drawn forward anyway, drawn towards the mystery of the shadows and the fortune that may just await him if he continued on just a little farther. A symptom to his love for adventure; he was always weak to the allure of intrigue.

It was also hope.

Nanami couldn’t die here, not like this, not after all of his adventures and misfortunes and treasures. He was a traveler after all, a born adventurer; he’s faced many great monsters and beasts and traversed the most dangerous of terrain — fierce lions with claws of blade and savage wolfs with teeth of daggers, fiery lava pits and cataclysmic grand canyons.

He’s been dealt with far worse things than a clawed leg — he’s been poisoned and stabbed and bit and bludgeoned and nearly flattened by an avalanche yet this seems to be the one injury to ruin him despite them all.

A damn cut.

Maybe his bad luck had finally caught up to him.

Maybe it was purely by chance and blind, ignorant luck that he survived those encounters at all, maybe it had been luck that saved his life tonight.

He didn’t believe in luck but maybe that was just it.

Maybe he’d die from blood loss first before the infection set in; he hoped he’d just collapse into the forest floor and let the mud swallow him as his body weakened and his blood pooled around him to soak into the dirt.

At least he wouldn’t feel it when he rotted into the soil and roots buried themselves in his bones, when flowers would eventually sprout from his decay and grow gardens.

There was always beauty to be found in ugly things he guessed, a rule just as simple as beauty could be recycled from the horror of something else.

Something beautiful to come from something dead, something finally meaningful to come from his meaningless purpose.

No.

Nanami swallowed down that dreaded feeling, motivation bursting at his seams and ripping at his shirt, pooling at his feet and pounding in his ears as he stepped onward with a clenched jaw and sore muscles.

He was determined to live, determined to find something or someone or… he was bound to find safety eventually, some kind of sanctuary, even if it took him all night (if he even lived that long).

He walked a little longer until he stumbled upon a thick berry bush that seemed to block his way further; it was dark blue berries he certainly didn’t recognize and definitely didn’t trust to eat no matter how badly he needed the energy.

Nanami took that as a sign, stopping against a tree trunk to rest his throbbing leg for just one minute — a minute he couldn’t really spare. He leaned down and put a hand on his one good knee and huffed and sighed, panting weakly and tiredly; he really wanted nothing more than to be in his big comfy bed back in Hawksborough, surrounded by the comfort of his own home and safety of his room.

A few quiet moments passed with him like this. Him leaned against the tree, tired and haunted with nothing but the sounds of nature and the weariness of his own fragmented breath surrounding him.

Then, then he heard something rather remarkable, something that had his breath stop and his back straighten.

It was a hum, a beautiful, deep hum that seemed to resonate in the air around him and shake the leaves of the trees and the petals of flowers on broken stems.

It started out faint, like the strings of a harp between soft fingers. Then it crescendoed into something greater, deeper, like if someone were to play the keys of an organ and each heavy note echoed on the walls of an empty cathedral; hauntingly beautiful.

It certainly did, it echoed in his chest so hard he could feel his ribs shake.

It was a melodically smooth sound, coming from somewhere close to him but yet everywhere around him; it was hypnotic and bone chilling and mesmerizing all in one and Nanami felt a shiver run down his spine at the sound of it as the hum seemed to grow louder the more curious he became.

He looked around the darkness for anything to hint at where the sound was coming from, but saw nothing except black air and the twisted limbs of trees.

Nanami gulped down the pain in his body with a sore throat, then winced as he stood up straight.

His leg throbbed and his head was starting to ache but with one final push he managed to scramble his way through the berry bush where the hum seemed to drown in his ears and coo at his brain; something told him he was going the right way.

He grind his teeth at the thorns pushing and breaking into his skin, ripping at his shirt and tearing at his seams.

When Nanami was through, a dirty mess of ragged clothing and mud, he stumbled into the grass with a grunt, falling to his knees and landing on his bruised palms.

“Fuck…” He muttered painfully, never one to cuss but too damn frustrated not to; he’d forgive himself for it.

Nanami took a moment to relish in the agony of his battered leg; he didn’t even realize the humming had stopped until he picked his head up to see where he was.

And by the gods Nanami was in utter awe of what he saw.

There was a bright blue pond a little ways ahead of him, surrounded by flourishing plants and flowers and vines that all seemed to glow vibrant colors of blue and gold. The water itself was sparkling and bright, reflecting cerulean pools in the flora around it.

Iridescent blue weeping willow trees hung around the water and seemed to whisper longingly to the wind that caressed their leaves. The grass was long and wispy surrounding the blue bosque that seemed to sway and dance all on their own accord, to their own little melody.

The air itself was sweet and sprinkled with little golden fireflies that buzzed happily around him; it was like a portal to a whole new thriving world.

Although, it was eerily seductive; Nanami wanted to stay in the grandeur blue arms of this utopia forever, but something in the way his hair stood up on his arms and his heart pounded in his ears told him he wasn’t completely safe to do so.

Nanami pushed that thought aside, not necessarily in his right mind to pay attention to what his body was subconsciously telling him.

He was too wide eyed and breathless, for even the wind seemed so fresh and magical every pore in his body felt alive and tingly — he even felt the pain in his leg stop, some sort of euphoria flood through his nerves. Unless he just became so accustomed to the pain he couldn’t feel it anymore.

It was so beautiful and unlike anything he’d ever seen; how he wished he could take a picture and write it down in his journal so he could remember this place forever… if only those beasts hadn’t ripped his satchel off him.

Nanami blinked, once, twice, then pushed himself off the ground with all the strength he could muster. He was dirty and torn and completely out of place in such an ethereal land; he felt almost guilty for tainting its grass with his muddy shoes.

Still, he stumbled further into the mysterious place as the soft sound of wind chimes twinkled somewhere around him, not loud and obnoxious but soft and gentle, a lullaby almost that made him feel sleepy, like the notes themselves were wrapping their velvety arms around him and pulling him in.

He didn’t resist it, looking around in awe at the paradise in front of him as he took a couple steps forward. He caught the movement of two butterflies playing together in the air, their dainty wings glimmering with glowing white sparkles and a vivid sky blue — he even swore with every flap of their wings it left a trail of delicate golden dust behind them.

He watched with wonderment as they faded somewhere into the trees, then turned his head to look back at the pond; the real treasure.

He felt his mouth salivate, all too aware of the dryness in his sore throat now as the water swayed and tempted him into its crystal blue depths. He knew he should’ve been wiser about this, hesitate for just a moment and linger on the possibility of entrapment but his thirst wouldn’t allow it; a pathetic, wandering fly in a deadly flytrap.

Nanami took two strong steps — all the strength he had left — towards the ponds edge for some much needed refreshment, falling down to his knees at the waters edge. The buzzing of nature seemed to drown out behind him in a mesh of forgotten sound as he scooped up a handful of water and eagerly drank it out of his palm.

He didn’t bother looking at his reflection; he knew he was an utter mess and always hated to see himself in disarray. He must’ve looked vaguely threatening to any outsider who saw him — not that anyone did (as far as he knew).

The water rippled as he drank from it, the liquid cool and translucent blue in his dirty palm he had haphazardly wiped on his trousers.

It passed over his dry gums and throat in a refreshingly cold blast with every gulp; it tasted so good and clear he could even feel the chill of it going down his throat.

With three more frantic gulps Nanami had had enough; his stomach was full and his thirst was quenched as he leaned back on his palms and looked up towards the sky in a spared moment of relaxation.

It was a dark navy blue sky twinkling with yellow and gold diamonds, no moon in sight but he didn’t care as he got lost in the coolness of the air on his narrow cheeks and the way it wrapped around his aching body, warping between the tears of his shirt and washing over his warm skin.

It was the opposite of how he used to sit on a cliffs edge and soak in the warmness of a golden sunset after a hard journey. He didn’t want to feel the heat of a days end on his glowing skin so much as he wanted to bask in the cold stillness of a breezy evening.

He hadn’t known how he got here and he didn’t bother trying to figure out how; as an adventurer such as himself it was always about the journey rather than the destination itself anyway, but not in this case.

In this case he couldn’t be happier that the troublesome voyage had ended and he had finally reached where he needed to be — maybe needed was a strong word but he’d rather be here than out there. It was certainly weird to think that way, and it went it against his very passions but… he’s been through too much in this night alone than he’s ever really suffered through in the totality of his life.

Nanami felt disappointed in himself for thinking so, guilty even, like he was betraying this metaphorical odyssey he was destined to travel on. Still, for the first time in his career Nanami was relived to be off his feet.

He sighed wistfully, fingers sinking into the soil as cool air flooded his lungs. He closed his eyes as he relished in the feeling.

Nanami didn’t even feel it when his elbows buckled under him and he fell back on the grass, only seeing a glittering blue sky and yellow diamonds behind black, closed eyes.

The water went still once more and the blue went black.

You studied the contours of his face delicately, your hands intertwined in your lap and your legs tucked under you as you did.

The room was small and cozy, lit by nothing but a soft blue flame in the corner that crackled and popped every few moments, tendrils of butterfly bush hanging from the ceiling and walls. The room smelt of honey and sweet rain, dark and joyfully dreary but you saw his face just fine.

He was quite handsome, you couldn’t deny that.

His blonde hair all in disarray, his narrow cheeks and sharp nose, his thin pink lips and angled eyes.

He was handsome.

You narrowed your eyes at him curiously, raising a delicate hand and gently brushing your cold fingertips over his cheekbone.

His skin was smooth and warm, cheeks flushed a light pink. It was always a small envy of yours — the warmth of humans. You were so cold all the time, your skin like crystals and frigid like snow.

Your fingertips fluttered over his blonde eyelashes, unable to keep your hands off him.

You wondered what color his eyes were. Green? Brown? Blue maybe?

You were eager for him to wake, your boredom having become tiresome and your patience having become thin. Still, you didn’t want to disturb his sleep just yet. The poor man had been through so much already; his leg was still healing, wrapped in bandages and honey salve and you certainly didn’t want to add any extra stress that could damage him further.

Really, you loved to stare at him with no complications, enjoyed the thrill of blatantly admiring his beauty before he could wake up and you’d inevitably make him uncomfortable, before he’d say it was improper to do so.

You were selfish in that regard, in many regards.

This man, you hadn’t learned his name nor his origin, but you knew he had been in the dark woods at a time he should not have been.

He was tall and brave, strong and perseverant, that much you knew and that much was certain. It was why you liked him so much, it was why you spared him.

But who was he?

He was no real threat to you and that was all that mattered.

You smiled softly, bemused and smitten, when his nose crinkled in his sleep. You gently dusted away a stray blonde hair that had fallen out of place.

You seemed to have bothered him then, because not a moment later did his head turn slightly and his lips part to exhale — he was waking up.

Finally.

You settled your hands back in your lap before he could notice, staring down at him with a sweet, welcoming smile in hopes to comfort him as his eyes fluttered open to look at you.

You gazed back into them delightedly.

Mm, they were brown.

Nanami had woken up with an ache in his skull and a sting behind his eyes, lost in a daze of twisted black thickets and enticing blue ponds; the sensation of featherlight fingers tracing his cheek tickled his brain and made his skin itch.

The first thing he smelt when he came to was blueberry pie and sugar, the sweetness of it making his mouth water but his stomach twist.

He wanted to eat something, badly, but he also wanted to throw up.

The air was warm around him, comfortable and pleasant, his sore back laid on something soft and plushy. He didn’t feel any reason for panic as he found himself melting into the comforter — whatever the hell it was he couldn’t be certain — against his better judgment.

Nanami tried to gather some sort of sensation in his body, tried wiggling his fingers and his toes but all he felt was nothing, numbness. He couldn’t even feel the pain radiating in his leg anymore.

He found that worrisome; maybe it was finally his time, maybe his luck had finally run out. Maybe he was lying face down in the forest floor right now as his mind conjured up the smell of his favorite pie and the feigned comfort of his mattress as a sweet gesture to bid him a final farewell.

Hell, if death was this peaceful he would’ve never been so against it.

Then he felt another whisper of skin across his forehead, soft and untraceable. If it wasn’t for the stark coldness of whatever it was touching him he would’ve missed it.

With the coldness making his skin shiver Nanami quickly found himself grounded back to reality. He wasn’t dead, he couldn’t be. Death didn’t exhibit the mundane concepts of hot or cold; temperature had no purpose in a void of nothing.

He was very much alive if the sound of his heart beating in his ears and the chill on his forehead was anything to go by. He even felt the tips of his fingers tingle as feeling came over them again, numbness having lingered in his bones for far too long.

He somehow found the strength to open his eyes.

For a brief moment he saw a blurred vision of black and blue. The shadow of a pale, azure colored light shining from somewhere, flickering in and out. It made a headache settle into the cracks of his skull and spread a torturous ache throughout his head.

He couldn’t stop the groan from leaving his lips as his hand flinched up towards his temple.

“Oh no, it seems you have some head trauma, it’s best not to strain yourself right now.”

It was a voice, soft spoken, barely above a whisper that piqued his interest immediately.

His vision focused on you once the pain faded; the girl next to his bed side with glittering dark eyes and a wickedly charming smile, wearing a baby blue colored dress embroidered with delicate flower designs; vines and flowers all intertwined in a tangled mess of thorns and petals that reminded him so greatly of the dark wood.

A sheer, glittering lily white shawl was loosely hung around your shoulders, hair in wavy tendrils down to your waist that pooled around your thighs. You were certainly pretty and unassuming.

He could tell you were a frail little thing, gossamery and lovely in a dainty sort of way but he also knew better than to underestimate you; appearances always deceived and there was no greater trick than the feigned purity of an impure thing.

Thankfully, he was not one easily fooled.

Nanami looked back up at you after a quick study of your form — your posture and seemingly innocent facade that did nothing to comfort him — so he just stared at you distrustfully, dark brown eyes narrowed cautiously. He noted the feigned sweetness of your lips as they curved into a small smile and the mischievous twinkle in your eyes as you gazed down at him; he felt preyed upon, the same feeling he exhibited in the meadow.

Kento had been through enough near death experiences in his life to recognize a snake when he saw one, for even the devil had come as a beguiled serpent so who was he to know if you were any better? He felt uneasy under your vehement stare, like a mouse in a cobra pit.

It was peculiar and uncanny, you yourself were frightening and unusual, no doubt a cacophony of horrors wrapped in a cute little bow with pretty blue eyes. He knew you could have anyone fooled, but he was too good, too experienced in the matters of trickery to recognize a fellow trick when he saw one.

Nanami was on the cusp of your deception, giving you a heady stare from beneath stern eyes.

He subtly leaned further away from you.

You flickered your gaze between his stare with an amused look, noting the change in his aura surrounding him as he regarded you tentatively.

You were honestly impressed by how quickly he seemed to have caught on to your true nature, not all humans had the innate sense of danger that he did; something in his gut had told him you were a vile, dangerous thing, and his instincts were telling him to run.

Even though it was unfair to categorize you as such, it was only fair to assume, and not necessarily distinguished too far from the truth anyway.

You sympathized with his ornery skepticism, not wanting to scare him any further so you just smiled down at him in the sweetest way you could fathom. You waited patiently for him to gather his thoughts and wit. Although, it seemed his mind was already made up.

“How are you feeling?” You asked in a nonthreatening, soft tone, raising a hand and barely touching the flushed skin of his bare chest, only enough for your fingertips to graze across his skin and grab his attention.

You were pleasantly thrilled at the feeling of his warmth under your fingertips, but Nanami just shuddered like a ghost had touched his bare soul with cold, lifeless hands.

His dark eyes quickly flickered down to where your hand had touched him, covering it with his palm like you had just struck him. Your fingertips seemed to have jolted his skin with a sudden frigid coldness that throbbed through his veins and made his heart stutter. He flinched at the shock of it, not seeing the way you had to bite back a smirk at his indignation.

He looked up at you with a sharp inhale, “I’m quite fine,” Nanami cleared his throat and tried to sit up straighter in an attempt to look half as intimidating as you did, “now who are you?”

You smiled at him, already loving the sound of his voice as he spoke to you; smooth, sharp, demanding, washing over your skin like the warm water of a hot spring. He was entirely too serious and you were too smitten. You could hear the underlying hatred he seemed to already have for you, hear the way his heart raced in his chest and see the way his fist tightly clenched the blanket between his long fingers.

You made him nervous and he made you pathetically giddy. You didn’t care about his fear however, for he would soon learn to become accustomed to you given the proper time spent together. All you really needed was just a little patience until then, after all, could you really blame him for being a bit standoffish given his bizarre situation?

You felt amusement pull at your lips as you folded your hands back into your lap, looking down at him with navy blue pools that reminded him so much of the pond he had so eagerly drank from, “Your savior. You’re welcome for that by the way.”

Nanami leered at you, the hair standing up on his arms as you spoke. Your voice was sweet enough but coated with undertones of something more sarcastic, something more sinister.

“Savior? I sincerely doubt that.”

You felt your smile pull harder at his pride; you couldn’t help it, he was like a frightened squirrel shrinking away from you with his tail between his legs, but trying desperately hard to appear like he wasn’t.

You heard the hardness in his voice though, the rigidness in his tone, the overcompensation for fear.

“Well, how do you explain where you are then? I hardly believe you got here on your own.” You teased him, gesturing to the dimly lit room around you and granting him a large, impish grin.

Nanami didn’t bother looking around, keeping his eyes narrowed in on your face and his hand on his stomach; he didn’t trust not having his eyes on you.

“Whatever the case may be… I can assure you I’m fine. I don’t need whatever it is you’re offering, and quite frankly, I don’t want it.”

You sighed lethargically at his stubborn insistence, staring at him for a moment as your shoulders slumped.

“Is that so? Then stand and walk out. I’m not stopping you traveler. You’re free to do as you please.” You teased him once more with a smirk on your face, gesturing towards the exit behind you — a rectangular opening in the wooden wall shielded by strings of diamond hanging off the top rim.

Of course, you knew he couldn’t leave anyway.

Nanami glanced at where you were pointing coldly, intrigued by the glances of blue-green trees — it seemed like — peeking through the swaying beads.

He didn’t move his head, only his eyes, considering.

There was no way you would just let him walk out that door.

He looked back at you, then looked down at his foot which he had almost forgotten about. It was heavily wrapped in big blue-green leaves he didn’t recognize, sealed tight with a sticky, glossy coating. He raised his brow curiously, face stoic.

You followed his gaze with a knowing smile, “Oh, that’s right… you can’t walk.” You looked back up at him, grin having not left your face.

Nanami clenched his jaw at the cheery way you seemed to say it. His biceps strained as he adjusted in the bed to sit against the wall completely, ignoring the ache in his spine and the heaviness sat on his broad shoulders. Flowers tickled the back of his neck and a small fur blanket slid off his hips as he did.

You stared heatedly at the flexing veins in his arms and the tightness of his abs, the smoothness of his human skin and the rigid curves of muscle on his virile body; he was beautiful and magnificent, like a diamond tenderly molted and pressed over the course of eons. Only a god who truly loved him could dedicate such time and care to carve him — every muscle and vein, from the tips of his toes to the strings of his blonde hair he was perfection.

You couldn’t let him leave you, not now, not after you’ve heard the whiskey smoothness of his voice and seen the chocolate of his brown eyes. He was everything you wanted and everything you desired.

Nanami swallowed once he was settled, glaring at you with his fist bundled in the black fur of the blanket you had laid on him.

“I can tend to my own wounds, I never asked for your help. I wish to go back home.”

You couldn’t help but giggle at him, raising a hand and covering your mouth as you did.

“Home? Your home is far away, you need to rest.” You laughed at him like he was silly, attempting to lay a consoling hand on his thigh with blue and white crystal bracelets jangling on your wrist.

Nanami gripped your hand before you could touch him however, keeping it locked in a tight grip between his strong fingers. He ignored the coldness of your skin in his grasp while your heart jumped at the feel of his warm palm wrapped around you.

“I don’t have the patience for your games. Where have you taken me and what do you plan to do with me?”

You huffed at the rudeness in his tone, slowly pulling your hand out of his grasp and laying it back in your lap.

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes at him.

“Could you stop being so hostile? I’m not going to hurt you… besides, if I wanted you dead would I have patched your leg? Would I have cleaned you? Would I have brought you to my home?” You said exasperated, giving him an annoyed look as impatience settled over your blood like a thin sheen of syrup over a plate of berries.

That was a flaw of yours, your impatience.

Nanami looked down at his body when you mentioned it, seeing that he was now wearing a white button up shirt with the buttons left undone, his broad chest exposed to you in a way he didn’t doubt you orchestrated. His lower half however was merely covered in a set of blue striped boxers he heavily recognized as one of his own.

He clenched his jaw at that, feeling exposed and vulnerable in a whole new definition of the word.

“Don’t worry I didn’t bathe you per se. Just washed away the dirt I could find on the already exposed areas.” You leaned closer to him with a playful smile, voice a teasing whisper, “I didn’t peek, promise.”

Nanami cocked his head at you, “No pants?” He deadpanned, ignoring your previous statement.

You flickered your eyes down to the blue boxers he wore, then back up to his face with the same kittenish smile on your lips.

“Oops. I must’ve forgot.” You lied flawlessly if only nonchalantly, leaning back away from him to your original sitting position.

Nanami frowned at that; he almost sneered at you, but managed to remain calm as he stared at you with irritation inflamed in his brown eyes.

You bit your lip to hide a widening smile.

“Well, did you hear what I said? I’m not trying to hurt you. I found you lying in the grass covered in your own blood and dirt… I thought you were dead, I would have felt guilty if I just left you there. So I brought you to my home and I fixed your leg. I did a rather nice job, don’t ya think?” You spared him a story that wasn’t necessarily a lie but not necessarily the whole truth either. It was a simpler version of events you knew he’d have no problem brushing off.

Nanami, of course, didn’t believe you anyway. He believed you had found him, yes, but not how you had claimed to. He believed there was more to the story, details you pointedly overlooked and purposefully forgotten.

He swallowed tensely, his strong body stiff and rigid like he was preparing for something to happen, heart beating in his ears and anticipation buzzing at his finger tips.

He wanted to question you, ask every question and hear every answer but he was too smart to blatantly antagonize someone he didn’t know. He knew you were off, maybe not entirely there, but he didn’t know what you were in the sense of your capabilities. He knew your small frame was misleading, your wide smile deceptive, your pretty little eyes twinkling stars of mischief behind glittering pools of blue.

You weren’t to be trusted and you weren’t to be taken lightly; you were strange and otherworldly beautiful; a kind of deadly combination he’s never had good experiences with in the past. Sirens were enticing just as you but nowhere near as cunning, pirates were fearless just as he but nowhere near as smart.

He refused to be the drunken, belligerent fool falling into your deep, hungry waters.

“Could you tell me your name? That way, we won’t be strangers.”

He eyed you with a clenched jaw and narrowed eyes, knowing he needed to play this silly game of yours the right way if he ever planned on getting out of here. If things went according to plan you would soon be the pliable object of his carefully curated manipulation, the one with all the questions and none of the answers, the trickster who would soon be the tricked.

He gave you a disinterested, cautious look, raising his chin at you, “Kento. And yours?” He replied shortly, not necessarily interested in hearing anything you had to say but knowing it was better to play along with your delusion than reap the consequences of not.

You hummed pleasurably at that, ignoring his question altogether, “Kento…”

You beamed at the sound of his name despite his impudence, loving the sound of it being pronounced in your voice, the way your tongue moved around every letter in your mouth as you said it.

His name was handsome, he was handsome.

You leaned towards him once more as a sense of demented idolatry swelled in your chest; you wanted to be close to him, feel his ribs enclosed around your lungs and hear his deep voice in your head. Hear his heart beat in your chest and feel his blood mesh with yours — you wanted to be one, to think, to feel, to have him.

He could see the almost manic look in your eye as you looked at him. He was disturbed by it, tried to lean away but couldn’t, already pressed as flat as he could be against your black, wooden wall.

You bared him a wide smile that glimmered the whiteness of your sharp teeth, “We’re going to have so much fun together…”

𝜗𝜚𝕤𝕦𝕘𝕒𝕣 𝕨𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕞𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕥 ✧･ﾟ: *

[platinumcerezas]

hello chat. i am here to get insane & abnormal about sanacibo. enjoy!

i raise you; this sequence of pages.

okay. okay. do you get what i mean. chat do you. Chat.

i would Kill to know what happened in sanakan’s mind to warrant this change because it drives me insane

she gave cibo a Chance. she did not let the transformation happen — which undoubtedly would have killed cibo permanently — she guided her to a body cibo could upload herself into. to get away. she gave her a CHANCE!!! SHE GUIDED HER TO A DIFFERENT BODY SO SHE WASNT DESTROYED IN THE PROCESS!!

what warranted the change??? why did she do this... why...

it drives me entirely undoubtedly insane. this yuri gets SERIOUS!

[cevansbrat0007]

Hello Mr. Barber, I wanted to ask what are some qualities we ladies should look for as our deal breakers in finding a perfect match? I'm not very lucky in the dating sphere and I'm quite ready to give up. You and your wife are very lucky to have found each other and worked on your relationship. Obviously every person is different in what they look for in a partner, but do you have any suggestions or advice?

Summary: Andrew Barber returns to answer even more of your burning questions about love and marriage. Written from Andy's POV. Also check out Volume I and Volume II, as well as an Interview with Mrs. Barber.

Warning: the following response contains mature themes, including references to oral sex and cursing. Minors DNI.

A/N: For more insight into Andrew Barber and his Baby Girl, please check out my ongoing Growing Pains Series. All mistakes are my own. Likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated.

___

Well hello again, everybody! First let me say that it’s nice to be back. My wife and I have really come to enjoy these questions. However, this time I felt the need to consult her as I wrote this response. This is in addition to letting her review my answers before hitting “publish”.

I just wanted to make sure that my answers made sense. Lucky for me, Baby Girl is a very honest creature. So, without further ado, here we go.

Allow me to begin by saying that there’s no such thing as a perfect match. Although I initially disagreed with this, my wife helped break it down for me so that I could better see her point. That’s one of the many things I love about this woman, you know? She’s willing to challenge me and the ways I see the world.

And sometimes that’s exactly what I need.

Now, that’s not to say there’s no hope of ever finding the yin to your yang. That’s absolutely possible. I just mean that perhaps you ought to consider tweaking your perspective a little. 

Maybe reframe it in terms of you’re seeking a partner. Because that’s what you’re looking for, right? That’s the goal – the endgame. You’re searching for someone to do life with, together. Forever. 

And in order for that to happen, you need an effective partner. Someone who sees you for who you are. Who loves you the ways you need to be loved. Someone who enhances instead of detracts. 

You want someone who’s willing to meet you where you’re at with the intention of helping you grow.

With that in mind, I would implore you not to lower your standards. Maintain your values. Know your worth. Don’t ever compromise any of that for another person. I’d also advise you to be immediately wary of any man or potential significant other that ever asks you to do so. 

One of things that really attracted me to my spouse is that she expected to be treated a certain way from the very beginning. She’s the type of person who commands respect from everyone wherever she is. She’s always been that way. And it’s because she knows her worth.

Case in point, when I almost blew it on our very first date. To this day, I’m grateful that I found the balls to chase after that woman when things went south at Cibo Matto. This man right here “ain’t too proud to beg”, I can tell you that much.

And yes, I know that’s a song by The Temptations. I was actually just serenading Baby Girl with it the other night. If memory serves, she was pissed at me for eating the last of her homemade cinnamon rolls. So, I did what any good husband would do when their lady threatens to run away to the grocery store and never come back. I swooped her up as she was stomping out the door and carted her off to my office so that I could apologize for my actions.

Besides, I’d much rather eat her any day. I mean can you blame me? My woman is the sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted. The stories I could tell you about all the ways I’ve convinced her to forgive me for the stupid things that I’ve done…

But that’s not what this was initially about, is it? My sincerest apologies. Where was I? Oh, that’s right. Knowing your worth and refusing to lower your standards. 

During our first date, my girl refused to settle for being treated as an afterthought. So she left. Just straight up walked out on me. Because she deserved better than how I was treating her. 

That evening should have been about us getting to know each other better. Instead, I unknowingly allowed my ego to get in the way and almost derailed everything before it had the chance to start. Which meant that I almost lost out on something magical. 

Which brings me to my next point. Everyone makes mistakes. This can be especially true when nerves are involved. I’m fortunate in that my Baby Girl eventually forgave me, and with that also came a second chance. But only because – and she explained this to me again last night – I had enough sense and maturity to apologize.

And fucking mean it. 

So, I’m going to suggest that you be willing to grant any of your potential suitors some grace. But only if they’re worthy of it. Meaning that if he’s not willing to apologize – especially if he’s done something to accidentally hurt or disrespect you – then walk away.

Because that’s a sign that you’re dealing with a boy. Not a man.      

The only other thing I would encourage you to do is to keep yourself open to love. Magic tends to find us when we least expect it. It likes to sneak up and knock you square in the face. And when that happens, I think you should embrace it.

Run with it. Cherish it. Be thankful for it.

Treat that relationship like a seed and water it daily. You’ve got to pour into one another and tend to that love. Cultivate it gently with tenderness and patience. And hopefully one day you and your partner will look up and be utterly amazed by what has blossomed.    

Thank you for your question and never forget that Mrs. Barber and I are cheering you on from the sidelines. 

Best Wishes, Andrew Barber

[cute-girls-from-vns-anime-manga]

How do you feel about Cibo from Blame? Or Guideau from The Witch and the Beast? tbh Im always torn on which i like best

I know nothing about either one of these characters or series but based entirely on a quick bit of research into both Guideau is WAY more attractive to me so Ima go with her just cause of that

Considering yourself has her as your pfp I think you've come to the same choice

[cdyssey]

Abbott 2.14 Thoughts:

Finally have time to watch the new ep!! The conference has been great so far, but I’m glad I can just decompress for the rest of the evening.

“Don’t listen to what the eighth graders say about the way you dress. You are making a fashion statement.” AKDNSNS, I love the way that Jacob is always there for Janine. Their friendship has subtly but so genuinely evolved from from S1 to now.

JANINE’S SISTER!!!!!! AW, Ayesha is so cute. Oh, my God, Janine’s very erroneous and self-revealing side-comments about her. (Girl, I want to study you under a microscope.)

Jacob explaining his and Zach’s happiness and LISA clearly breaking.

The idea of Mel taking herself out to a steakhouse all alone. Oh, my God.

Barb and Ger!!!! I think it’s very charming that they’ve both been too preoccupied to really plan anything? That’s the sort of detail that feels true to some long-established couples?? My parents, who are in their seventies, don’t really plan anything either. They just sort of remember it’s Valentine’s Day and then go grab a steak, lol.

QKQJSNSSN, BARBARA ASKING ABOUT AMBER LIKE THAT. I love when the work wives are work moms.

Melissa having her glasses in her mouth for the rest of that scene.

“He looks like men do before they have kids.” OOQJWNWJDDJAJISDJS.

“… because if you think about it, underpaying a white teacher to teach Black history is almost reparation.” GHEEJDID. They give Ava the goddamn best one-liners.

Donnie: “I need a woman.” THAT KID’S LOOK AT THE CAMERA WIWNDNE.

Ava looking invested/putting down her phone as she listens to Jacob… 🥺

Barb being so excited about the airplane date is very cute. Also, Cibo Bistro is an Italian place, so that’s a tiny Work Wives win if you really think about it and put ur clown nose on.

Mel’s mind jumping straight to cheating. God. That’s the suspicion of someone who has been cheated on before and utterly hurt by it.

WAH, BARB NOT KNOWING SHE HAS TO BUY A PLANE TICKET. SEA BARBARA!! CRUISES ONLY.

Janine going to Mel for advice. 😭 I love work mom moments.

“That’s puppy love, Dolittle. It’ll pass.” This is a very cute line, but if I really wanted to, I could write the angstiest gd fic about “It’ll pass.” <3 *Twirls hair. owo*

JACOB SPILLING THE SECRET EEJFNEN. Janine’s expression as she digests this information—dear god, the utter vulnerability and confusion of it.

“Only a handful of them do. Say, like, 30% to 60%.” ajwjweAhqsjs.

Ava still observing Jacob. LISTEN, pls tell me the plot line is that she’s actually enjoying learning. I will start sobbing.

“Like an anti-racist Icarus.” QIQJWNSENS.

QNWSNSN, EVERYONE IN THE TEACHER’S LOUNGE KNOWING ABOUT GREGORY.

“Although I think that workplace romances are a terrible idea” and Melissa nodding in agreement. I could also write terribly angsty fanfic abou—

Barb: “But you do like him, right?” Everyone being a Teddie shipper is so good and so right.

“Sweetheart, it is possible to like two people at the same time.” ON GOD, DID THAT JUST COME OUT OF BARBARA HOWARD’S MOUTH?!!

Janine tenderly and sadly imagining domestic intimacy with Gregory. I want to cry.

ZACH!! I love his fit. I love a good bomber jacket.

“Sounds like you’re actually enjoying learning.” YESSSSSSSSSSSS.

“I will kick your Jacob-loving Saint Valentine ass right out of this school.” AAkqjwwidj

“I never liked school. It got in the way of college.” QOQKQNS.

“No offense.” / “None taken.” Goddamn, this show is so funny.

I love that Ava is sharing this vulnerable moment with Zach, tho, and I love the fact that he immediately is able to intuit what the difference is. Ava has grown and matured since her younger days, and she’s continuing this journey every day. The same principal who misappropriated school funds to buy a sign of herself isn’t the one who’s sitting across Zach admitting to being invested in learning about Black history.

Janine thinking Gregory is talking about them. 😭😭😭 GOD.

LEGO flowers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Right pairing, wrong timing ships always get to me. Jesus.

“Well, people can like more than one person.” I love that this is the second time this has been said in the episode. The Abbott writers know relationships and people are messy and complicated. It’s never about neatly partitioned feelings when you really love someone.

AVA MAKING THEM TURN AROUND. AVA GOING BACK TO SCHOOL. SOBBBBBBINN G!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I AM SOBBINNG!

Ava standing up for Jacob!!!!!!!! I fucking love that!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’m very not fashion-aware because I had to go look up the value of a Telfar bag ANSDNS.

JANINE NOT KNOWING EITHER WIWNDSNNW. Solidarity. I love you, ma’am.

LMAO, Mo and Amber are gonna end up together.

Not Gregory looking baaaaack.

BARBARA INVITINT MEL TO THE AIRPORT DATE. THIS IS ALL I’VE EVER WANTED.

“Oh, we don’t mind.” THIS IS MY WIFE, BARBARA, AND THIS IS MY WIFE’S WIFE MELISSA.

Barbara so tenderly worrying about Melissa, and Melissa gently shrugging the effort off because she wants Barbara to have a nice night. I love this ship that we have all collectively made up in our heads. <33

WRAP IT UP, FOLKS. WE GOT AN I LOVE YOU AND AN I LOVE YOU TOO, BARB. THAT’S ALL I NEED TO BE HAPPY AND CONTENT WITH MY LIFE. OH, MY GOD. MELISSA SAID IT SO CASUALLY.

And then the episode ended. <3 The end.

[chemicalbrew]

1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 11, 17 for music asks!

1. A song you like with a color in the title

Blue Room-

Okay, let me think, actually.

Coconuts - Silver Lights

Daft Punk - Indo Silver Club

Pendulum - Still Grey

ODESZA - White Lies

White Lie in Black from Xanadu Next

Blue Lake from Brandish 3

Blue Moon from Brandish VT specifically

Aoki Shizuku (Azure Droplets) from Trails to Azure

Soaring Through Azure Sadness from Gurumin

Depeche Mode - Blue Dress

Spacious Blue Sky from Trails of Cold Steel

The Red Locus from Radiant Historia (this OST has at least six songs with colors in the title LOL)

Itoki Hana and Toby Fox - Skies Forever Blue

there's so much blue on here, even without Blue Room lol

2. A song you like with a number in the title

Katana ZERO-

don't worry, I'm thinking.

Sanctuary Zero from Tower of Heaven

Swedish House Mafia - One (TIMELESS STUFF this vid is ingrained in my soul)

Blur - Tune 2 (NOT Song 2)

Exhausted 3 from Drakengard 3

4 Minutes Before Death from Ghost Trick

Dave Brubeck - Take Five

Moby - 7

Probability of Precipitation 10% from Trails from Zero

Fourteen Residents from OFF

Mikito-P - 39 Music!

Itoki Hana & Toby Fox - 74

ATOLS - $149

Daft Punk - Revolution 909

Rigёl Theatre - RiET-949

The Race of a Thousand Ants from OFF

Gorillaz - 19-2000

kemu - A Tale of Six Trillion Years and a Night (linking a human cover for you)

5. A song that needs to be played LOUD

Breath of a Serpent-

okay, the bit is getting old.

Daft Punk - Superheroes, the go-to answer

any of the battle music from Drakengard 3, literally ANY. here's one. I am so normal don't worry about it.

Pendulum - Crush

Pendulum - Under the Waves

Pendulum - Hold Your Colour

Cibo Matto - Birthday Cake (I know this one from Jet Set Radio)

To the Edge from FF14 (by Masayoshi Soken)

6. A song that makes you want to dance

Hit the Floor.

Not even crossing out any more.

Hit the Road from Road 96 (by The Toxic Avenger)

MGMT - Electric Feel

Morandi - Afrika

Room 5 feat. Oliver Cheatam - Make Luv

Mystique - Brand New

Forest Funk from Super Meat Boy (I need to look into this game more fr)

9. A song that makes you happy

90% of what was mentioned above. Cop-out answer, but I'm already linking a ton.

When I'm sad, I usually listen to whatever I'm currently obsessed with anyway. So right now, that would be

Can't Do by Everything Everything. (thank you lol)

11. A song that you never get tired of

Stardust - Music Sounds Better With You

The Ones - Flawless

Happy Shabby Life - A Daytime Stroll in Scarecrow Field from Chulip (yes, that's the title)

Moby - Natural Blues (the 2006 version, every other one sucks ass and dick and balls and everything)

Blur - Intermission

17 was done already <3

[sayitaliano]

VIA DI QUA | J-AX ft. MR. RAIN

Io non penso mai I never think Alla mia vita tra vent'anni e sento About my life 20 years from now and I feel Di non sapere nemmeno dove sia adesso I don't even know where it is now Mi guarderò allo specchio, ma sarò diverso I'll look at myself in the mirror, but I'll be different Siamo la somma degli errori che abbiamo commesso We're the sum/result of the mistakes we have made Da bambino impari a odiare chi ti ha fatto male As a child you learn to hate those who hurt you Credi che ferirlo sia l'unica soluzione You believe that hurting them is the only solution Ma è quando cresci e diventi grande But it's when you grow up and become an adult Che impari a perdonare chi prima ti ha spezzato il cuore That you learn to forgive those who broke your heart before Il primo amore dura quanto una stella candente Your first love lasts as long as a shooting star Non dura tutta la vita, ma la cambia per sempre It doesn't last all your life but changes it forever Ma crescendo poi capisci che ogni volta But growing up you then understand that each time (you fall in love) È sempre peggio della precedente Is always worse than the previous one

E nei momenti peggiori And in the worse moments C'è sempre qualcuno che parla There's always someone who talks Qualcuno che ti viene a dire cosa devi fare Someone who comes to tell you what you need to do Che devi mangiare What you have to eat E solo nei momenti peggiori And only in the worse moments C'è sempre chi fa una domanda There's always someone who asks a question Qualcuno che non riesce a capire Someone that cannot understand Che hai voglia di urlare più che di parlare That you want to shout much more than talk E allora sai che c'è And so you know what Vado, vado, vado, vado via di qua I go, go, go, go away from here E allora sai che c'è And so you know what Vado, vado, vado I go, go, go Vado via da chi pensa di insegnarmi a vivere I go away from those who think to teach me how to live

Non pensi mai You never think A cosa è giusto quando c'hai vent'anni About what is right when you are 20 years old Fumi e bevi tanto c'hai la vita davanti You smoke and drink cause you have your whole life in front of you Cos'è l'impegno non lo sai, tanto qua è uno sbatti What's commitment you don't know, anyway here all is a struggle Vuoi la rivoluzione, sì ma fatta dagli altri You want the revolution, yeah but done by others Papà si chiede dov'è che ha sbagliato Dad asks himself when did he go wrong E mamma che non dorme anche se ti sogna sistemato* And mom doesn't sleeps even if she dreams about you being settled (*essere sistemato, sistemarsi = having/finding a stable job + family) Non li puoi sentire, alzi le cuffie col volume a 100 You can't listen to them, you turn your earphone's volume up to 100 E non li vuoi vedere, quindi fissi uno schermo And you don't wanna see them, so you look at a screen Il primo amore arriva quando meno te lo aspetti Your first love comes when you least expect it Come febbre che fa gli anticorpi, ma ti lascia a pezzi As a fever that grows antibodies, but leaves you in pieces (very tired, as if you had your bones broken) Lì a contare i tuoi difetti (over) There counting your flaws Con lo schifo per il cibo e l'odio per gli specchi With disgust for food and hate for mirrors

E nei momenti peggiori And in the worse moments C'è sempre qualcuno che parla There's always someone who talks Qualcuno che ti viene a dire cosa devi fare Someone who comes to tell you what you need to do Che devi mangiare What you have to eat E solo nei momenti peggiori And only in the worse moments C'è sempre chi fa una domanda There's always someone who asks a question Qualcuno che non riesce a capire Someone that cannot understand Che hai voglia di urlare più che di parlare That you want to shout much more than talk E allora sai che c'è And so you know what Vado, vado, vado, vado via di qua I go, go, go, go away from here E allora sai che c'è And so you know what Vado, vado, vado I go, go, go Vado via da chi pensa di insegnarmi a vivere I go away from those who think to teach me how to live

Il primo amore non dura una vita intera Your first love doesn't last a lifetime Ma ti cambia la vita per sempre But it changes your life forever Quando ti stanchi d'odiare capisci When you get tired of hating you understand Che perdonare è la cosa che ti difende That forgiving is the thing that protects you Spesso viviamo rinchiusi nel nostro passato dimenticandoci il presente We often live locked up in our past forgetting the present Certi errori li rifarò ancora, questo è il bello di crescere Some mistakes I will do them again, this is the nice part of growing up Ma forse è quello che mi serve But maybe it's what I need

Vado, vado, vado, vado via di qua I go, go, go, go away from here E allora sai che c'è And so you know what Vado, vado, vado, vado via di qua I go, go, go, go away from here

E nei momenti peggiori And in the worse moments C'è sempre qualcuno che parla There's always someone who talks Qualcuno che ti viene a dire cosa devi fare Someone who comes to tell you what you need to do Che devi mangiare What you have to eat E solo nei momenti peggiori And only in the worse moments C'è sempre chi fa una domanda There's always someone who asks a question Qualcuno che non riesce a capire Someone that cannot understand Che hai voglia di urlare più che di parlare That you want to shout much more than talk E allora sai che c'è And so you know what Vado, vado, vado, vado via di qua I go, go, go, go away from here E allora sai che c'è And so you know what Vado, vado, vado I go, go, go Vado via da chi pensa di insegnarmi a vivere I go away from those who think to teach me how to live

[snakemoltsiren]

🎵 (Shrike)🎵 (Yulia) (I am not biased or at all being a simp here)

Shrike - In Your Nature (David Lynch Remix) - Zola Jesus

It used to be that

The war was brought

But now the end becomes us again

We never let it in

Shrike left a life of strife behind. A life where her entire purpose for existence was to be a Challenge.

So run off run off

Let it drip down you

Run off run off

Like it was born for you

If it's in your nature you'll never win

She isn't afraid to say that she fled it. Though the hardest part has been overcoming what she was made to be in order to figure out what she might be instead.

--

Yulia -

MFN - Cibo Matto

Is the place you really want to live IN as a ghost?

Is the place you really want to love at most?

Do you really want to know???

Yulia is an anarchist. She is the kind of person who was only ever seen as grist for the mill when she lived in Ishgard and barely got out with her life.

She has no regrets about the circumstances surrounding how she left. And if given the chance to do it again, the only thing she would have done differently would be to cover her tracks better.

[melis-writes]

hi lol I was wondering if we could get some sweet sibling moments between Victoria and Lorenzo. Or maybe some Lorenzo bonding with Victoria and Michael’s kids. It’s been all angst with Lorenzo till now I thought some cute moments would be nice 🥹🥹🥹

Also I love all of ur fics smmm. I found your account right after watching the godfather for the first time ever and i was like jackpot 😭😭❤️❤️ You’re an amazing storyteller and I open Tumblr 90% of the time to check your account 💕💕💕💕

Hello, sweet anon!! 🥰😍 I love this cute, sibling bond prompt! We’re almost a little too used to expecting Lorenzo to be a hardass as its practically in his character, but for sure in the near future when I write up a oneshot just about Victoria and her family, we’ll see the full extent of his personality and grow to love him–just maybe? 😅 Hehe. On the other hand, thank you sooooo much! Made my whole day! 🥺❤ I appreciate that so much, thank you for reading my works and interacting with me!!

“I don’t know about you but I’m not exactly ever getting much of a ‘taste of home’ at any Italian place in Nevada.” Lorenzo hands the keys to his Lancia B24S to his bodyguard as you both walk side-by-side with one another towards a nearby café.

“The Italian community is just as big, believe me.” You chuckle, “though New York, New York…” You gaze upward at the streets of Long Island with a smile. “It’s good to be back home for a while.”

“Let your heart wander a little.” Lorenzo wraps a hand over your shoulder, gesturing to the café just a few feet away from him. “Where do you think we all go when we’re craving pistachio cannoli and you aren’t around?”

“What? Alina doesn’t make it for you?” You grin at your brother playfully before the two of you take your seats across from each other on the café’s patio.

“She hates pistachios.” Lorenzo murmurs, holding back his laughter. “Espresso? Sure. Anything with berries? You got it. But she’s a picky eater, a little ironic for a pastry chef.”

“How is she doing?” You ask, pretending not to notice the middle-aged gentlemen behind the cashier of the café, staring out the window to the both of you with bulging eyes of surprise.

“She’s good.” Lorenzo smiles back at you, leaning back in his seat. “She’s a multi-tasker like you. I just wish you could see her more often—”

“Lorenzo e Vittoria Ferrari?” A gruff voice speaks out as you and Lorenzo suddenly notice the same man inside the café now right next to your table, clutching two menus to his chest in shock. “Non posso credere ai miei occhi.” (I can't believe my eyes.)

“Non puoi crederci?” (You can’t?) Lorenzo gives the man a polite smile, taking out his pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his suit pocket. “Sono stato un cliente del tuo caffè prima.” (I've been a patron of your cafe before.)

“Sì, sì, certo.” (Yes, yes, of course.) The man nods frantically as if he’s offended the both of you. “Sono il proprietario di questo umile caffè. I miei figli lavorano qui e mi hanno detto che la famiglia Ferrari è venuta qui prima. Perdonatemi, signore e signora. Non ci credevo perché...” (My sons work here and they told me that the Ferrari family has come here before. Forgive me, sir and madam. I did not believe them because...) The man pauses for a moment before clearing his throat, “mi sono chiesto cosa ci farebbe la stimata famiglia Ferrari nel mio piccolo caffè?” (I asked myself what would the esteemed Ferrari family be doing at my little cafe?)

“Alla mia famiglia piace molto il tuo caffè.” (My family likes your cafe very much.) You speak up. “Tu e i tuoi figli avete molto di cui essere orgogliosi.” (You and your sons have a lot to be proud of.)

“Oh! Elogi da Victoria Corleone! Grazie signora, grazie. Per favore, non permettetemi di interrompere la vostra conversazione. Ecco i nostri menù. Saremo pronti a servirvi non appena vorrete ordinare del cibo. Per favore, goditi qualsiasi cosa gratuitamente.” (High praise from Victoria Corleone. Thank you madam, thank you. Please, don't let me interrupt your conversation. Here are our menus. We will be ready to serve you as soon as you wish to order some food.Please, enjoy anything free of charge.) Before either you or Lorenzo can protest, the man’s already left the menus in front of you before scurrying back off into the shop.

“Poor man isn’t used to gangsters dining at his café?” You joke, shaking your head as Lorenzo gestures to offer you a cigarette.

Lorenzo stifles back his laughter, putting a cigarette in the corner of his mouth. “Perhaps you and I are more recognizable than our brothers.”

“I’m grateful, really.” You chuckle, smoothening out your dress. “Now if only Michael were here...”

“Uh-huh.” Lorenzo lights up his cigarette in the palm of his hand, keeping his eyes on you. “You just flew in about four hours ago and still missing that husband of yours, huh?”

“Oh, please.” You feel your cheeks sting with blush as you pick up the menu. “You wouldn’t stop gushing about Alina when you first married her.”

“True, true.” Lorenzo nods, setting his lighter down. “But that was when I first married her. The difference is, you gush like a teenager in love and it’s been seven years.”

You playfully stick your tongue out at Lorenzo, eyeing the menu. “Why don’t you order something instead of teasing me so much, big brother?”

“I already know what I’m gonna get.” Lorenzo takes a long drag from his cigarette. “I’m just trying not to make eye contact with the owner otherwise he’s going to break his leg trying to run out here to get our order.”

“Fair enough.” You laugh softly, mentally noting your order. “I think I’ll have a tiramisu and a cappuccino.”

“And I think he heard you.” Lorenzo points to the café as the owner stares back at you, nodding and rushing to prepare your order. “And uh—I’ll have a pistachio cannoli and an espresso, big boss.”

“Sì! Al momento!” (Yes! Right away!) is all you and Lorenzo can hear from inside the café, confirming your orders.

“This guy.” Lorenzo shakes his head, continuing to smoke his cigarette.

“Hoping you, Leonardo, Matteo and Alessio haven’t taken advantage of his kindness.” You raise your brows at Lorenzo.

“And why are you looking at me like that for?” Lorenzo notices your stare.

“Because I have a feeling they may like the word ‘free’.” You point out.

“Oh.” Lorenzo bursts out laughing. “At this day and age? Father would drag them back here to pay tenfold over if that was the case—offered to be on the house or not. No, I’m pretty sure they pay. I do.”

“Good.” A smile forms back over your lips. “So Mr. Lorenzo Ferrari has manners after all.”

“Have you seen my wife, Victoria?” Lorenzo rests his cigarette between his fingers. “Don’t think she’d like me all too much if I wasn’t.”

“You two are cute, you know. Whether you admit it or not.” You tease, pretending this time not to act as surprised when the owner of the café returns a moment, later carrying a large serving tray.

Lorenzo gives the café owner his signature, polite smile as the hot coffee and Italian desserts are served. “Grazie.” (Thank you.)

“Prego. Divertiti e per favore fatemi sapere se voi due avete bisogno di qualcos'altro.” (You're welcome. Enjoy, and please let me know if you two need anything else.) The café owner humbly says, nodding at the both of you before returning inside the café.

“I thought we were done with the teasing.” You can almost swear to yourself you’ve seen your brother blush just now. “On the other hand, you are the definition of a risk paying off, you know that? That Corleone and you.”

“Oh no…” You giggle quietly, pressing the side of your fork into your tiramisu. “Maybe I’m just one lucky girl.”

“Pfft, maybe.” Lorenzo shrugs, raising his coffee up to his lips. “Depending on how many girls you ask that fawn over Corleone on a daily basis. Other than that, you’re a match made in heaven.”

“I would have never thought—“

“Don’t start.” Lorenzo rolls his eyes.

“You would say that!” You squeal, munching down on your tiramisu. “Getting squishy there, tough guy.”

“I’d say it’s still tough to want your sister to be happy.” A grin breaks out over Lorenzo’s face as he sips his espresso. “Still, it was a risk, wasn’t it? Because there’d always be a possibility it wouldn’t work out.”

“I’m not the pessimistic type, but,” you swallow down your tiramisu. “Is it bad I honestly wouldn’t be surprised?”

“What do you mean?” Lorenzo continues sipping his scalding coffee. “As in if you and Corleone broke off the engagement or divorced much earlier on?”

“Both, I guess.” You shrug your shoulders, blowing gently over your steaming cappuccino. “You know how it was for me in university. I didn’t really ‘date’.”

“Wasn’t your thing when your head was in those books.” Lorenzo gestures by poking his own temple. “I’d have thought you and that Romano would have gotten together at some point.”

“Ah, everyone said that.” You chuckle quietly, taking a cautious sip of your coffee. “I had too many strings attached to my life then. Commitment… Mm, it wasn’t really on my mind. It was too soon, you know?”

“Funny enough,” Lorenzo quietly clears his throat. “That changed as soon as you laid eyes on Corleone. I saw that myself, now I can believe it.”

“I can’t help it.” You blush almost instantly, picturing Michael in your head. “I’m not shying away from admitting just how in love with him I am.”

“Does he make you happy?” Lorenzo gives you a small smile.

“He does. He really does.” You nod back happily. “Not just me, but our children too. Honestly, all I want is for you two to finally get along too.”

“Ah, I wouldn’t say we don’t exactly…” Lorenzo stops himself, pursing his lips. “Well, let me stop myself before I lie. For you, Victoria. I’ll look past our differences for you, because if he makes you as happy as you say he does, who am I to question that or get in the way of it? And besides. You have a little baby to take care of again, I expect the two of you to be glued from hip to hip again. That’s how it was like with me when Alina gave birth to our sons.”

“I’d appreciate that, Lorenzo.” You beam back at him. “I really would. I’m not just saying this to you either, but also to Michael. We’re family, after all.”

“We are.” Lorenzo nods. “But excuse me if I’m a little stunned my baby sister grew up so fast and is already on top of the world. Now that,” he bites into his flaky cannoli, pointing at you with his cigarette. “Is something Victoria Ferrari accomplished—with or without a man. And I’m proud of you either way—I mean that. I’ve learned just as much from you in these past years as you ever have with me, and—”

“Uncle Lorenzo, Uncle Lorenzo!!” Familiar squeals from afar interrupt your conversation at hand.

“Oh!” Your eyes light up as you look towards the entrance of the café to spot the twins accompanied by Al Neri behind them, rushing to greet you both. “When did you two decide to arrive almost two hours early?!”

“We surprised mama!” Verona giggles playfully as she and Niccolo practically come to jump in Lorenzo’s arms.

“Oh, careful there.” Lorenzo’s quick to set down his coffee and cigarette to rise from his seat and kneel down to embrace the twins. “Gotcha! Couldn’t possibly surprise me.”

“Thank you, Al.” You beam back at Neri, giving him a wave as he nods in acknowledgement. “Looks like they missed their uncle, alright.”

“Uncle Lorenzo!” Niccolo hugs Lorenzo tightly just as Verona runs into your arms.

“We surprised you, we surprised you!” She chants happily. “We came to see Uncle Lorenzo toooooo!”

“Swear everytime I see you two, you’re even more grown than before.” Lorenzo chuckles to himself. “And the last time was two weeks ago. Has anyone ever told you how much you resemble your father?”

“Maybe.” Niccolo clasps his hands behind his back. “I love daddy.”

“I love your daddy too,” you say through laughter, pulling Verona up onto your lap.

“Do you love daddy?” Niccolo curiously asks Lorenzo, noticing even at eight years old that his uncle’s always been a bit of a brooder near Michael.

“I, uh—” Lorenzo shrugs, “I guess I do. Why not? I love your mother too. I think she’s pretty great.”

“Uncle Lorenzo is great!” Verona happily points over to her uncle, causing both you and Lorenzo to exchange overjoyed glances with one another.

[birchbarkz]

9 People Youd Like To Know More About

TAGGED BY: @scarskelly

Last song: king of silence by cibo matto :]

Currently watching: im copying scars answer tv and movies too scary i watch the sweaty men mostly....

Currently reading: spoon river anthology by edgar lee masters! very good so far. it has a lot of emotional importance to me so its been a good time

Currently obsessed with: CHIIKAWA... it's a japanese comic strip (yes i found it because a pro wrestler i like is obsessed but hes based because its good and funny and cute) my favs are either anoko or siren (but if i had to pick one of the chiikawa tribe i would say momonga)

Tagging [there is no legal requirement to do it]: @oneweirdtip @runkakerurun uhhh i cant remember lees tag and i ran out if people alre as dy its 6am im so tired. do it and tag me if you want to :3

[school-in-london]

20220917 SCHOOL IN LONDON (TAKEKIYO EXHIBITION IN OSAKA) (Guset DJ: SEO)

■DJ: 村田タケル

sorry / There’s So Many People That Want To Be Loved

Wunderhorse / Teal

Chastity Belt / Fear

Radiohead / Anyone Can Play Guitar

Wet Leg / Too Late Now

beabadoobee / fairy song

Alex Turner / Stuck on the Puzzle

Big Thief / Time Escaping

Katy J Pearson / Howl

jennylee / Newtopia

■DJ: タイラダイスケ

Hovvdy / GSM

Melody's Echo Chamber / Where the Water Clears the Illusion

Say Sue Me / George & Janice

Bobby Oroza / The Otherside

Lady Wray / Where Were You

Slowly / I Like It feat. Jasmine Kara

Lola Coca / The Map

Dom Kennedy / Come Back Home

Mac Miller / Blue World

Hiatas Kiyote / Get Sun feat. Arthur Verocai

Amy Winehouse / Best Friends, Right?

Littele Simz / Woman

edbl / The Way Things Were Feat. Isaac Waddington

Crush / Oasis feat.ZICO

88rising & BIBI / The Weekend

JayWood / Just Sayin (feat. Ami Cheon)

Remi Wolf / Liquor Store

The Go! Team / Cookie Scene

Arlo Parks / Just Go

Phoenix / Long Distance Call

easy life / nightmares

Hope Tala / Cherries ft. Aminé

Wafia / In The Honey

Calvin Harris / Potion feat. Dua Lipa & Young Thug

Jim James / Know Til Now

■DJ: 村田タケル

L'objectif / Feeling Down

Robocobra Quartet / Wellness

Yaya Bey / pour up (feat. DJ Nativesun)

Yaya Bey / uh uh nxgga

Blvck Spvde / Save A Lil Seat (feat. DJ Harrison)

SAULT / London Gangs (※Spotify無し)

Puma Blue / Oli Slick

Glows / Tropic feat. Asha Lorenz

Hazel English / Hamilton

Katy J Pearson / Riverbed

Wet Leg / Oh No

Fontaines D.C. / You Can't Realise (Darklands Versions) (※Spotify無し)

Weird Nightmare / Lusitania

Horsegirl / Anti-glory

The Undertones / Teenage Kicks

Courting / Crass

Squid / Pamphlets

sorry / Cigarette Packet

Oliver Sim / Romance With A Memory

Sleaford Mods / Nudge It Ft. Amy Taylor

Nana Yamato / Do You Wanna

■DJ: 武田清（takekiyo）

Superorganism / On & On

Sego / Shame

Petrol Girls / Preachers

Soul Coughing / Sugar Free Jazz

The Halo Benders / Virginia Reel Around the Fountain

SACOYANS / わたしの窓辺

Joseph Gordon-Levitt / Now, Here, This

Surfer Blood / Hey Ya

The Walkman / Heaven

Pavement / Grounded

NYAI / Yumeshibai

Grouplove / This Is The End

The Folk Implosion / Free To Go

Cibo Matto / 10th Floor Ghost Girl (※Spotify無し)

The Chemical Brothers / Believe

bloc party / Ratchet

■DJ: タイラダイスケ

Brijean / Wifi Beach

TSHA / Dancing In The Shadows (feat. Clementine Douglas)

Charli XCX / Beg For You (feat. Rina Sawayama)

BLACKSTARKIDS / CYBERKISS 2 U*

Mura Masa / Deal Wiv It (feat. slowthai)

どんぐりず / NO WAY

Hiyadem / I RAVE U

Nilüfer Yanya / the dealer

Yard Act / The Overload

Wet Leg / Ur Mum

The Linda Lindas / Oh!

The Smiths / Panic

The Beatles / Love Me Do

The Zombies / Friends of Mine

The 1975 / Happiness

CeeLo Green / Fuck you

Jungle / All Of The Time

Beyoncé / BREAK MY SOUL

Melé / Talkin' Drums (feat. Toure Kunda)

Lizzo / About Damn Time

■DJ: SEO (Guest DJ)

Niko B / Quick Drive

Tayo Sound / Someone New

Warpaint / New Song

The National / The System Only Dream In Total Darkness

Clairo / Sofia

easy life / skeltons

The 1975 / TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME

Empress Of / Dance For You

Drake / Felling Back

Bonobo / Rosewood

PinkPantheress / Picture In My Mind (feat. Sam Gellaitry)

yunè pinku / DC Rot

The Chemical Brothers / The Darkness That You Fear

Romy / Lifetime

Disclosure & RAYE / Waterfall

Declan Mckenna / The Key to Life on Earth

The Magic Gang / Think

Ash / Kung Fu

Horsegirl / Option 8 (Live) (※Spotifyは通常音源)

Kendrick Lamar / United In Grief

Littele Simz / Venom (Live) (※Spotifyは通常音源)

Mitski / Your Best American Girl

■DJ: 村田タケル

Hatchie / This Enchanted

My Bloody Valentine / Soon

Mush / Inkblot and The Wedge

Dry Cleaning / Magic of Meghan

Lewsberg / Six Hills

deep tan / tamu's yiffing refuge

The Horrors / A Knife In Their Eye  (※Spotify無し)

Woking Men's Club / Rapture

Crack Cloud / Tunnel Vision

Joy Division / Isolation

Viagra Boys / Ain’t No Thief

bed / Kare Wa

!!! / Rhythm Of The Gravity

Famous / Surf's Up!

Lime Garden / Pulp

Deadletter / Line The Cows

black midi / Eat Men Eat

Black Country, New Road / Chaos Space Marine

~Ending~ jennylee / Love You

[meshimellow]

16 + 30 for tha music ask 😁

16:One of your favorite classical songs

the rite of spring by igor stravinsky

its basic as fuck and im not sure if this counts as one "song" but there was a period of time like 2 weeks where i only listened to this and watched as many versions of the ballet i could find on youtube

30:A song that reminds you of yourself

stone by cibo matto

idont know about this one it just came to mind. i dont think of songs i listen to relating to me in any way im sure other people do though..

[spiked-mall-goth]

3, 7, 8, 26, and 38 for the asks :] ilyyyy <3 <3

3. 3 films you could watch for the rest of your life and not get bored of? OUGH!!! HELLRAISER III HELL ON EARTHHHH!!!!! movies im more normal about are X2, spiderman 2, and clue :3b

7. what scares you the most and why? ummm.. idk? like i am so scared of everything ever i think its hard to pinpoint specific fears. AS IM TYPING THIS JUST KIDDING ACTUALLY ITS RABBITS. FUCKING HATE THE BEASTS. THEY HAVE SCARY EYES AND MORE INTELLIGENCE THAN THEY NEED TO!!!! as for the rest of the fears? disorder :)

8. any reacquiring dreams? no actually, for someone who dreams a bunch i never actually have reacquiring dreams. i do however have reacquiring places i visit in my dreams. i lucid dream like every night and usually what lets me know im dreaming is i recognize where i am. not real locations but dream versions of them. i visit the scary dollar store kinda often

26. fave colour and why? is black a color? am i allowed to say black?? if not black then red <3 shes so pretty and bold. plus ya know theres blood

38. fave song at the moment? uhmmm.. i have multiple but probably chaos by corpus delecti, richard hung himself by slayer, moonchild by cibo matto, and disney town by mono!!

[cevansbrat0007]

Merry-Go-Round Magic: Andy's POV

Summary: Told from Andy's POV. Andy and Reader’s finally have their first date, but what happens when things don't quite go as planned? Andy Barber x Black!Reader 

Read the original Merry-Go-Round Magic.

Read Morning After Magic.

*Warnings: Fluff, Slightly Insecure Andy Barber, Andy Barber Cuddles, Annoyed Reader, Confident Reader, Second Chances, First Date Floof, Cursing, Pet Names, Minors DNI

A/N: Please give me your feedback on this one! This is part of my ongoing Growing Pains Series.  As always, please let me know what you think. Semi-proofread. Not beta’d. All mistakes are my own.

—

“Come on, man.” Andy mutters under his breath as he takes another sip of his whiskey. “Fucking talk to her before she leaves.” Trying his best not to be too obvious, his eyes stray yet again to the ebony haired pixie who was chatting animatedly with a friend less than fifteen feet away from him. 

Known for his tenacity In the courtroom Andrew Barber was a force to be reckoned with, but for some reason he couldn’t get his feet to move. Letting out a resigned sigh, he turns his attention back to his drink, only to be surprised a few moments later when he feels a small hand on his shoulder. 

“Hi there.” Her tinkling voice sounds even lovelier than she looks. “You look like you could use another one of those.” She gestures towards his now empty glass. “If you wanna be my friend, you’ll let me take care of that for you.”

Andy can’t help the smile that breaks out across his features. “Well, beautiful, If you want to be my friend then you’ll tell me your name and maybe have a drink with me. What do you say?”

“It’s Y/N. And yours?”

“Andrew. Andrew Barber, actually. But please, call me Andy.” 

“Okay, Andy.” 

The two continue to chat briefly before Andrew asks if he can maybe take her out some time. 

“You know, my life has been kind of like a merry-go-round lately, but sure. Why not? I think I’m up for one more ride.” She grins, blessing him once again with her sweet smile.

“I promise you won’t regret it.” He assures her, his hand reaching for her own.  

They thankfully manage to exchange numbers before her friend comes over to drag her away. And even though he doesn’t want to, he lets her go. He stares at her retreating form, silently noting how good her ass looks in that champagne colored dress. Then he tucks her number into his pocket and promises himself that he’ll reach out tomorrow. 

You see, Andy was many things, but stupid wasn’t one of them. He’d felt the zing between them. There was no way he was going to pass this up, because if anyone deserved to feel a little magic…it was him. 

Over the next two weeks, the two chat off and on via text. There was also the occasional phone call, but since they were both busy people, those didn’t happen often. And to be honest, he finds himself grinning like a little schoolboy every time his phone pings. 

Tonight, the two were going on their first official date and he could not fucking wait. Time seemed to drag on and on. All he wanted was to fast forward through the day. The man cared about virtually little else. 

He’d even offered to pick her up tonight but she had declined, opting to catch a cab instead. It was kind of a bummer, but he understood. He was a stranger and she wanted to ensure her safety. Frankly, he was proud of her for being cautious.  

Even if it meant that he had to wait a little bit longer to be in her presence...

—

Later that day…

Andy patiently stands outside of Cibo Matto, a new downtown hotspot. Reservations were booked out at least a month ahead of time, but he knew a guy who owed him a favor. And tonight it was time to collect. This girl deserved only the best, and if he wanted a shot at a second date then he was seriously going to have to sweep her off her delicate little feet.

He bounces on his heels as he waits for her to arrive. She was close, he knew that much from her last text. But he’d been on pins and needles all day. He just wanted to see her, talk to her, hear her laugh…

Was that too much too soon? Maybe.

Did he care? Not really. 

When her cab finally pulls up to the curb he jogs over to grab her door before she can, taking a moment to help her out of the vehicle. And then he motions for her to put her clutch away before leaning inside the passenger window to hand the cabbie a fifty dollar bill. 

“Thanks for getting her here safely.” Andrew tells him. “Keep the change and have a good night.” 

“Um, Andrew, thank you, but you didn’t have to do that. Let me pay you back –”

He cuts her off with a mock glare. “Don’t even think about it, Y/N.” He kisses her hand and then her cheek, before stepping back to get a good look at his date. Which, in turn, allows her to get a good look at him as well. God, this woman was spectacular. 

“You look gorgeous, baby.” Andrew murmurs softly. “You have no idea how much I’ve been looking forward to tonight. I’m pretty sure I overloaded my poor interns today due to my lack of concentration, but damn was it worth it to see you like this.” His eyes roam over every inch of her, making her giggle. 

“Let’s get you inside, hmm.” He offers up his arm. “And please, Y/N, call me Andy.” She offers him a dazzling smile for his trouble. 

“Okay, Andy.” His responding grin is enough to make her heart stutter. “I’d, um, be lying if I said I hadn’t been looking forward to tonight as well. It was maybe kinda all I could think about.”

Andy grabs the restaurant door and ushers her inside. “Good.” He leans down to whisper in her ear. “You don’t know how happy that makes me.” 

Having anticipated their arrival, the maître d' is quick to lead them to their table. After handing over the menus, he promises that their waiter will be with them shortly. Ever the gentleman, Andy pulls out her chair before seating himself. 

Say something, man. Don’t fuck this up.

“Ah, um, Andy…” She coughs, feeling her cheeks heat all over again. “You’re staring.”

Shit!

“Sorry, sweetheart. I’m not trying to be rude, I just, uh…” One hand reaches back to rub the nape of his neck. “You’re just so beautiful that I get kind of lost, you know? It’s like I lose all train of thought.” He gives her a sheepish look. 

She reaches over to grab his hand and gives it a playful squeeze. “I didn’t think you were trying to be rude. I was more concerned that maybe there was a spider in my hair or something and you were too afraid to tell me.”

“No, Y/N. No spiders, I promise. Now tell me, have you been here before?”

“Nope. I’ve heard good things though.” The waiter picks that moment to stop by the table. He introduces himself, only to leave and then return with a basket of fresh, warm bread and two dishes of infused olive oil. 

“Ladies first. Go on and grab a piece, Y/N - their bread is fantastic.” Andy nudges the basket towards her. “You like it?” He asks, his eyes shining with amusement at the unconscious moan that escapes her lips. 

“It’s so good, Andy. Like, nothing should be this good. I’m going to apologize in advance, but you’re going to need to get your own bread. This basket is mine.” She giggles before tilting the basket towards him.

He opens his mouth to say something when a man approaches the table. “Well if it isn’t Andy Barber! Good to see you!” Andy offers his date an apologetic look before standing and extending his hand to greet the other man. “Nice to see you, Dale.”

Now please kindly fuck off. 

“I just wanted to congratulate you on your most recent victory in court. I didn’t see all of it, but I heard you were impressive as always.” The short, slightly balding man vigorously shakes his hand. 

“I appreciate that.” Andy responds, looking mildly uncomfortable. “It was a tough case. But it wasn’t just me, a lot of folks were involved. A lot of hard work went into –”

“Ahh, nonsense!” Dale interjects. “Come with me for a moment. I’ve got a few people I need you to meet.” Andy’s eyes once again glance back to his date’s big brown ones. 

“Look, Dale. Ordinarily I would, but as you can see, I’m on a date right now.” He gestures towards her way. “I’m sorry, I should have introduced you two. Dale Matthews, this is Y/N, my lovely companion for the evening.” She smiles and waves.  

“Nice to meet you, dear. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to borrow our District Attorney for a moment. You understand.” He says dismissively, offering her a placating smile.

No, you pompous jackass. Not tonight. Andy thinks to himself. Tonight is supposed to be all mine. 

“Dale, it’s just going to have to wait. I’m with this stunning young lady tonight and she’s my priority so –” Andy is once again cut off when another man joins them at their table. 

What the fuck? Were they blind? Couldn’t they see that he was fucking busy trying to woo this beautiful woman?

“Hey there, Barber!” 

Argh! If there was ever a time to forget my name, now would be it.

“I’ve been trying to find some time on your calendar to meet with you, but you’ve been booked solid. Dale and I have a couple folks we’d like to introduce you to. They’re right over there.” He points to a table located somewhere in the back, which is partially obscured from view.

Andy lets out a weary sigh. “I’m on a date, guys. Another time.” 

“Nonsense.” The other man waves off his protests. “It’ll be quick. You understand, don’t you, sweetheart?” 

No, she doesn’t. And neither do I. These douchebags don’t know when to leave well enough alone. But he did have a meeting with the Mayor coming up soon, so maybe it wouldn’t hurt if he just stepped away for the quickest of seconds. 

Andy looks over at the woman across from him, clearly torn. “Y/N, I’ll be quick. I swear.” She nods, trying to hide her irritation. “I’m sorry, okay? Two minutes. That’s it.” Accepting her polite acquiescence for what it is, he leaves the table and walks off with the men. 

She leans back in her seat as she feels the magic that had once surrounded the night begin to dwindle. The waiter stops by to ask if she has any questions about the menu, or if she wants to hear the specials, only for her to shrug and politely explain that her date had to momentarily step away. 

As he leaves, she grabs another piece of bread and aggressively dips it into the oil, downing it in three bites. And then she picks up another. Once that slice is gone, she glances at her phone. She patiently waits another five minutes before getting up to go to the bathroom as she contemplates her next move.

—

Ten minutes later…

The longer Andy waits by the empty table, the more his feelings of panic grow. How long did a woman normally spend in a restaurant bathroom? She couldn’t have left, right? He stops their waiter as he goes to brush by him. 

“I’m sorry, Francois, but did you happen to see the woman I came in here with? Beautiful, short, wearing a black blazer and pink blouse with –”

“Of course.” The gentleman clears his throat. “Apologies for interrupting, but the woman you’re describing spoke with Georgio before taking her leave a few moments ago. Would you like to keep the table?”

No, dipshit. Not unless it comes with my fucking date.

“No. No, I wouldn’t. Thanks.”  

Picking up his phone, he gives into temptation and shoots her a text. So what if he ended up looking stupid? He was a desperate man willing to do whatever it took to salvage what was left of this fucking shitshow. 

Andy: Shit, Y/N. Where’d you go?

Y/N: You seemed busy and my time is precious. Good night, Andrew.

Had she gone home already? No, no, no!  

Andy: Sweetheart, I’m so sorry. Please believe me. Just tell me where you are. 

She couldn’t have gotten far. He might still be able to catch her. Andy thinks to himself as he hits the “call” button. 

Y/N: Keep your apologies because I don’t need them 

Fuck! She’d sent him straight to voicemail.  

Andy: Please answer, baby. At least let me know that you’re safe. 

You: I’m a big girl who can take care of herself, Andrew. Now, in case you didn’t catch it the first time: Good Night.

That was it. He was going to track down his woman and demand that she give him a chance to make things right. Andy didn’t care if it took all night. In fact, he would almost prefer that it did. Because he wasn’t ready to give up on the evening just yet. 

Now, where the hell could she have gone?

His eyes stray to Georgio, the maître d'. Yep, he’d start with him. He thinks as he pulls his wallet out of his back pocket before striding over to the older man. 

It was time to make some magic happen… 

—

Fifteen minutes later, Andy strolls into Obsidian. His intense blue eyes searching the spot for his little Y/N. His heart begins hammering in his chest when he finally spots her tiny form sitting at the bar waiting to cash out. 

“Put her drinks on here, thanks.” He says, leaning over her shoulder to hand the bartender his card. She turns to face him, not bothering to disguise her fury. Yes, he’d pissed her off, but he could work with that.

He’d take anger over indifference any day.

“Y/N…” He breathes, looking down at her. “I -”

“What do you want, Andrew?” She huffs. “Better yet, how’d you even find me?” 

He shrugs his big shoulders. “I might have bribed Georgio.” And he had, with a crisp $100 bill. His hair is all mussed as if he’d been running his fingers through it. Which he had been. Constantly. Ever since he’d realized she’d up and left the restaurant.

She blinks up at him.”Well, good for you. I can’t believe I have to say this for yet a third time, but goodnight, Andrew.”

“It’s Andy, baby.” His hand grabs her wrist as she turns to leave. “And I meant what I said. I’m sorry. I screwed up, okay? I tracked you down to ask you for a do-over. And…” He trails off when he gets a good look at her face. “Oh, Y/N, please tell me you weren’t crying.”

She tries to pull away. “I most certainly was not.” She tugs again but his grip, while gentle, remains steady. “And even if I did, it certainly wasn’t because of your stupid face, Andy.”

He lets out a deep sigh and uses just a fraction of his strength to pull her stiff body against his own so he can wrap his arms around her. “I’m sorry that you maybe, most likely, definitely did not cry because of me.” Her perfume smells like orchids and sunshine. “Let me fix this. I’m asking for a do-over. No, I take that back, I’m demanding it.” 

This time he allows her to pull away. “You demand it? Is that right?” Her hands go to her hips as she gifts him with her most intimidating glare. Which he finds adorable by the way. 

“That’s what I said, gorgeous.” He crosses his arms. “Any man worth his salt can and will acknowledge when they’ve fucked up, which is what I’m doing now. And in return, you’re going to let me feed you and show you the night I had planned for us before things went off the rails.”

She continues to glare at him for a moment as she weighs her options.

“What are you thinking about?” He asks, tilting his head to the side. 

“Which shin I should kick you in.” She grumbles.

“Why choose?” He responds, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “I’ll offer up both of ‘em. The pain will be a small price to pay if it means having you back on my arm again.” Andy responds, wiggling his eyebrows.

Come on, sweet girl. Give me a smile. Just one. 

She tries not to smile and fails. For now, she decides to blame it on the alcohol, not the big man’s charming personality or his swagger. “Argh, fine. But I don’t want to go back to where we were before.” 

Andy offers her his arm, which she hesitantly accepts. “That’s not where I’m taking you, Y/N. I initially took you to that restaurant because I wanted to impress you, but I see I went about it all wrong. The point of a date is to get to know someone, so I want to take you to a place I go when I need to get back to my roots.” His large, slightly calloused hand briefly cups her face, his thumb stroking its way across her brow. “You game?”

Her eyes flutter closed as she nods. “Yes, Andy.” She breathes. “I want you to show me the real you.”

“Then let’s go.”

And just like that, magic had returned once again.

—

Arm in arm, a giddy Andy leads his lady down the street. He had a lot of making up to do, and he couldn’t afford to fuck up. He hoped to God he was making the right decision by taking her to his favorite place… 

“Andy?” He looks down at her with a combination of relief and contentment on his face. “I think I should let you know now that these boots weren’t really made for walking.”

“Huh?” What did she mean? Her shoes looked perfectly fine.

“I mean that, while they’re nice shoes, they’re not necessarily the best when it comes to, uh, traveling long distances on foot.” 

“Ahh, I see.” He chuckles. “Are they hurting you now?”

“Not yet.” She responds. “But I figured I’d put it out there ahead of time.”

Andy pauses mid-step to wrap his arms around her again. God, how he loved holding her. It was like she fit perfectly in his arms. “We’re almost there, but thank you for telling me. If it gets too bad at any point tonight, I suppose I’ll just have to carry you.” His eyes zero in on her lips, as if mesmerized. “I’ll settle for any excuse to hold you, baby.” Her flushed cheeks make him smile. 

Honestly, it was good to know that she was just as affected by his presence as he was hers.  

After another moment of heated silence, the two resume walking, eventually coming to a halt in front of a little hole-in-the-wall joint called Enzo’s. “This is it.” He murmurs in her ear, barely resisting the urge to nip the tempting flesh. “Let’s get you fed.”

The inside of the place is nicer than the exterior lets on. It’s clean and well lit, and it doesn’t stink of stale beer like some bars do. It’s busy, but not overly packed. Andy waves to the bartender, who happily greets him by name. 

“Hey, Mitch. Good to see you, buddy.” He holds out his hand to the dark-haired man. 

“Always a pleasure, Andy. It’s been too long. You gotta start coming around here more often, otherwise Camilla and Enzo are going to start thinking you don’t love them anymore.”

“Ah, well, we can’t have that.” Andy chuckles. 

“And speaking of love…” Mitch trails off, his gaze straying to the woman at his side. “Who is this fine looking lady and what in the hell is she doing with you?”

“I’m Y/N.” She says, introducing yourself before holding out your hand. “Give me just a second, dove.” They both watch as he quickly washes and dries his hands. “Don’t want even an ounce of filth to touch you.” He responds when he returns to shake her hand. “Him I don’t care about.” That makes his lady laugh, a little harder than she probably should.

A little harder than Andy likes.    

Andy just rolls his eyes and tries to keep the tendrils of jealousy at bay. “Speaking of Enzo and Camilla, are they here tonight? I need the works, especially since I already struck out once and really can’t afford to screw up again.” He winks down at her. 

“Yeah, I’ll let ‘em know you’re here. Your favorite booth is available in the back. I’ll bring you over a couple of menus in a moment.” 

“No need.” Andy tells him. Mitch nods before turning to look at you. “And Y/N, if this man even steps so much as a toe out of line, you come let me know and I’ll throw his ass out the back door.”

“Thank you.” She murmurs with an amused grin. “But if he screws up again I’ll do it myself.”

“Oooh…I like her.” Mitch mumbles to himself.

So do I, pal. Now take your eyes off my girl already.    

“Yeah, well that’s not happening. Let’s go, sweetheart.” He ushers her towards the back and into a booth.

Once they’re settled across from one another, she gives him a smile. A real, genuine smile. “I, um, I like this place much better, Andy. Now what are you feeding me, mister we don’t need menus?”

He reaches for her hand, intertwining your fingers. “Tell me, baby. Do you like lasagna?”

“Of course I do.” She responds eagerly.

“Good, because while it may not look like it, this place has the best lasagna in town. I’ll get two orders if you want, but one is generally big enough to split.” When the waitress comes over, Andy takes the liberty of ordering a bottle of Chianti, as well as the lasagna, the homemade meatballs, and an order of stuffed mushrooms as an appetizer.

“You should have led with this, Andy.” She tells him, her voice suffused with warmth. “This right here is the man that I wanted to meet.” 

He lets his head hang for a moment. It was time for this hotshot attorney, the Bad Boy of Boston, to be honest here. “Y/N…I…I’m not good at this. It’s been a long time. It’s not an excuse, it just is what it is.”

“Hey.” She leans across the table to take his face in her hands. “It’s been a long time for me too. I don’t know what you’ve been through, and maybe if this goes somewhere one day you’ll tell me, but you’re doing fine.” She leans in to kiss his forehead. “I’m here with you, aren’t I? And it’s not because you demanded it, you ogre. It’s because I want to be, alright?”

He smiles at her then, one of the brightest she’s ever seen. And just like that, he could feel his confidence begin to return. He had this in the bag, all he had to do was be himself. 

Y/N settles back in her seat just as the mushrooms and a set of plates are delivered to the table. Andy is quick to spoon some of the cheesy, sausage filled, bread crumby delights onto a dish. He cuts into one and softly blows on it before bringing the fork to her lips. 

Her eyes never leave his own as she accepts the bite. The bread at Cibo Matto was good, but it had nothing on these mushrooms. She lets out an audible moan as her eyes roll to the back of her head. 

“Good?” He murmurs as he offers her another taste, which she happily accepts.   

“Better, Andy. This is fucking bliss.” He laughs at that. “Just wait for the meatballs, baby. If you’re not addicted to me yet, one bite of those and you will be.” He goes to feed her another piece of mushroom, only for her to refuse it under the pretense of wanting him to eat some too. Which was too bad, because Andy would happily feed his girl whatever she wanted for the rest of the night.

And the meatballs, when they finally arrived, were positively sinful.  

While they waited for the next course, they talk about…pretty much everything. Their work, their families, what they liked to do on weekends. She talks about her love of cooking and trying new recipes, while he shares that he was hopeless in the kitchen. He confides to her about his love of musicals, while she tells him she prefers plays. 

Andy casually mentions that he had been married once, and that he’d lost a child. He doesn’t go into it too deeply, not wanting to sour the mood. Thankfully, she doesn’t press him on it, but she senses his pain nonetheless.   

They talk about the last books they’ve read. He finds it adorable the way she describes her favorite urban fantasy novel to him, almost as if she’s recounting it page by page. Honestly, if he had his way, he’d listen to her all night. 

She shares her love of corny jokes, her irrational fear of birds, and her fascination with horror movies. Andy winces at that last part, muttering that he much rather preferred a good action flick or a comedy. But inwardly he resolves himself to the fact that if his lady liked horror, he would power through as long as it meant he got to hold her in his lap. 

Why was he suddenly thinking so far ahead? 

And then came the lasagna. Between the two of them, they manage to clean the whole damn plate. 

Stuffed to the brim, Y/N leans her head back against the booth. “Oh Andy…” She moans before she can catch herself. 

He looked forward to one day hearing her say his name like that over and over again…in bed.

After he pays the bill, he smiles and helps her out of the booth. “C’mon, Princess. There’s still one more stop left on this tour.” That has you groaning. 

“Andy, I’m so stuffed I don’t know if I’m gonna make it.” Her hand goes to rub her belly before throwing her arms around him and pulling him close. “Thank you for dinner, darling. It was fabulous. Almost as fabulous as my dinner companion.”

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah. Now I guess I’ll try to power through. Where to next, Mr. Barber?”     

—

Andy was having the fucking time of his life giving his girl a fucking piggyback ride…all because she told him her feet hurt. And he certainly couldn’t have that. Not on his watch. 

“Andy.” She whines softly. “Are you sure, I’m not too heavy? I ate a lot of food back there…”

“Hush, baby.” He admonishes gently. “First of all you weigh practically nothing, and secondly, I ate just as much as you did. But let me tell you right now, I love a girl who can eat.” 

She tickles his ears in response. “Stop that! I should never have told you I was ticklish.” What the hell did he care? If tickling him made her laugh, then she could damn well do it all night.

“You’re so strong, Andy. Bet you could bench press me.” She lets out another drunken giggle.

I sure as fuck could, beautiful. Please ask me to try.

“I’d be happy to try that on our next date, Y/N.” He can’t hold back the laugh that rumbles in his chest.    

“Oh? You assume there’s gonna be a second date?” She goes to tickle his ears again, which prompts him to try to shake off her hands. “If I have my way, yes there will be. Now behave or you won’t get your surprise.” 

Oh, who was he kidding? He was going to give her this regardless. He loved that she acted like a little brat when she was drunk. 

His words make her settle down so that she rests her head atop his. 

“Okay, Andy. I’ll be good.” Yep. He thinks to himself. Little brat. 

A few moments later, he comes to a stop in front of what looks like an amusement park graveyard. 

“Andy..?” Her pretty voice trails off.

“Shh, sweetheart. Wait for it.” Thirty seconds later, there’s a loud click and then a buzz as one of the rides comes to life. The merry-go-round is suddenly ablaze with lights, filling the park with a dazzling array of colors and music. And then the ride starts to spin, the differently decorated horses moving up and down.  

“Andy…” Y/N slides off his back, her eyes glued to the spectacle taking place in front of them. “What is this?”

“It’s uh…I uh…” He strokes a heavy hand over his beard. Oh, God. Had his lame ass just screwed up again? “It’s just that when we first met, you mentioned that your life had been kind of like a merry-go-round lately, and not in a good way. And, um, I don’t know…I just thought maybe I would try to give you the fun kind.” He shrugs and looks away. “I’m sorry, it’s corny, I know.”

She continues to stare at him in disbelief, her eyes occasionally darting from him to the amusement ride. And then you look back at the lights. “You planned this…for me?”

“Yes, Y/N.” He lets out a deep breath. “For you.”

You had one shot, man. And you just blew it. What the hell had he been thinking –?

Andy’s forced out of his thoughts when he feels a pair of small hands take hold of his face. “You did this for me?” He nods, her thumbs briefly going to massage his temples.  

“Andrew Barber.” She says with conviction. “I am going to kiss you now. I hope that’s not a problem.”

What did she just say?

“Why would that be -?”

She slants his mouth over his, doing her best to convey all of her appreciation and gratitude with every curve of her lips, every flick of her tongue. It’s not long before a stunned Andy takes over, cupping the back of her head, just in case she thinks about running off again. Briefly gathering his wits about it, he  makes it clear that she is no longer in charge.

His tongue dominates her own, tasting and exploring every inch of her sweet mouth. They both moan into the kiss as she clutches at his shirt. His eager hands go to her ass, lifting her up so that she can wrap her legs around his trim waist.

She pulls away to whisper kisses along his face, his jaw, his throat -  any part of exposed skin her mouth can reach. He pulls her back to his lips again, mumbling something about this being the best “thank you” he’s ever received in his life. 

“I’m sorry.” She whispers when he finally lets her up for air. “That was aggressive and -”

“Don’t you dare fucking apologize.” He growls, his breathing heavy. “I’ve been wanting to do that all night. Now how about we go have some fun?” Andy lets out a whoop as she all but drags him over to the ride. 

Together, they spend at least a good hour running round the platform, jumping on different horses - sometimes separately, sometimes together. And Andy is always right by her side, just in case. He’s there for every yip, every giggle, and every “oof”. He’s quick to learn that his lady can be kind of clumsy. 

They dance and sway to the music, laughing as if they don’t have a care in the world. Because right now they don’t. It’s just him, Y/N, and a slew of ornately painted creatures. 

“Andy, come on! Just one more ride before we go home!” Her laughter is infectious. 

“It’s not going up and down.” She grumbles when he joins her on one last horse. 

“It’s because the two of us together are too heavy, Princess. Let me get off so –”

“No, Andy. You stay on. Hold me and I’ll just pretend.”. 

“As you wish, baby.” He buries his face in the crook of her neck and just enjoys the sound of her joyful giggles. 

Eventually it’s time to go. One again, Andy hoists his now exhausted date onto his back. “Thanks, Al!” He calls over his shoulder to someone you couldn’t see. “I owe you one, pal!”

With that, he trots off towards the street where there’s a cab waiting. Andy hustles her inside, barely holding back a smile when she snuggles up against him. “Thank you, Andy.” Feeling possessive, he holds her head against his chest as if she were the most precious thing in the world. 

And to him she was. 

“Thank you for giving me a second chance, Y/N. Now let me get you home. What’s your address? Tell the driver.” She quickly rattles it off to the man behind the wheel. Andy also makes a note of it as well.

She falls asleep halfway through the ride back to her place, not that he minds. He hadn’t been joking earlier about looking for any excuse to hold her. Andy gently nudges her awake when they finally pull up in front of her brownstone. Once again, Andy pays her fare, shutting down all protests as he does. “Give me a second.” He tells the driver as he goes to escort her out of the vehicle and up the stairs of her home. 

“Andy, tonight was amazing. Thank you. And I’m sorry I fell asleep on you. I didn’t realize how tired I was between the wine and the pasta and the horses.” She offers him an apologetic look. He lightly tugs on one of her curls in response. 

“Thank you for giving me a chance. This was one of the best nights I’ve had in a long time.” He looks a little nervous now. “Can I see you again?”

She pretends to think for a moment, resting the side of her head against the ront door. “That depends.”

“On what?” His brow furrows, his eyes darkening with confusion and a hint of frustration while her hands go to his shirtfront. “Do you like to cuddle?”

What kind of game was this lovely creature playing?

“I fucking love it. Haven’t done it in a long time.” His voice is so serious it momentarily takes her aback.

“Settle down, Teddy Bear. You wanna come up?” 

“Seriously?” He asks, his voice filled with surprise. 

“Yep. You wanna cuddle…and only cuddle, you follow me. But that’s all we’re doing so -” Before she can finish, Andy turns to the cab driver. “Bye, buddy! Thanks for the ride - I’m gonna go cuddle with my girl!” 

“Oh my god, you are ridiculous.” She rolls her eyes at him before holding out her hand, which he readily accepts. “Come on. We can discuss the possibility of a second date tomorrow. Depending on how good you snuggle with me.”

“Challenge accepted, baby.” Andy mutters under his breath as you lead him inside. 

Challenge accepted.

—

Andy can barely contain his grin as she leads him up the stairs to her apartment. Tonight had been one hell of a whirlwind for sure. In a matter of hours, he had somehow managed to have the worst, followed by the best, date of his life. And now the little pixie with wild curls had invited him to stay the night. 

Sure she had said that she only wanted to cuddle, and he respected that. But if she changed her mind, well…he respected that too.

As long as he got to spend time with Y/N he did not give a fuck.

“Well,” she says as she unlocks the door and gestures inside. “This is me, Andrew. Enter at your own risk. Oops - sorry. I mean, Andy. Enter at your own risk, Andy.” She throws him a playful wink over her shoulder.

Her place is a little on the small side and is tastefully decorated in shades of gray and pink. Closing the door behind him, an ever-curious Andy follows his date into the kitchen before gratefully accepting a bottle of cold water she pulls from the fridge.

He can tell she’s nervous. And truth be told, so is he.

“Remember,” she tells him, her determined although slightly shaking hand  goes to rest on her hip. “Snuggles only, Big Man.” She quirks one dark brow as if daring him to protest. “This cookie is off limits until I say otherwise. You good with that?”

“Fuck yeah, I am. If it’s cuddles you want, then it’s cuddles you shall have.” Now it’s his turn to wink. 

“Good.” The tiny sprite mumbles to herself. “So far so good.” But her hand is still shaking.

“Baby girl.” Andy coos softly. “Y/N, are you okay?” She clears her throat and then takes a long sip of her drink. “Just say the word and I’ll go.” Closing the distance between them, Andy reaches out to gently cup her jaw, the slightly roughened pad of his thumb stroking over the curve of her cheek. “So long as you let me come back in oh, I dunno, say five or six hours so I can take your beautiful self out for breakfast.” 

At least give me that much, sweetheart. Please.

He’s relieved when he receives a blush and a giggle for his trouble. 

“I want to do this, I do. I wouldn’t have invited you up if I didn’t want you here. I’m just protective of my space is all. This is my sanctuary, so you should feel lucky to have received an invitation, even though you’re not getting lucky tonight, handsome.”

“I’m a lucky man, indeed, Y/N.” He is quick to agree, lest he accidentally give her the wrong idea. 

“Would you like another drink, Mr. Barber? Or perhaps the private tour of Casa Y/N/L/N? It’s kinda late, so I’m afraid this tour is going to have to start and end with my bedroom.” 

“Water is fine, sweet girl.” He pulls her close, wrapping one brawny arm around her waist. “Let’s get you to bed.”

—

Fifteen Minutes Later…

After stripping off his shirt and pants, Andy sits on the edge of the bed to wait for his girl. Yeah, it was early, probably way too early for him to be thinking the way he was, but so what? Maybe if he played his cards right then his wish would be granted.  

Now clad in only a pair of black boxers, he takes a moment to survey the cozy room, colored in various shades of pink and purples, complete with a matching wicker papasan chair in the corner. A few moments later she emerges from the bathroom wearing a pair of adorable Winnie the Pooh pajama shorts and a cami. 

“Woah,” she breathes. Andy would have to be blind to miss the way she was checking him out. His confidence at an all-time high, he puffs out his chest a little allowing her to get a good, long look at his tattoo-covered torso. 

“Like what you see, baby?”

“Yes. I mean wow. I mean hi.” She clears her throat. “Sorry, Andy. Your tattoos threw me off, I mean, I just didn’t expect you to have them, err, so many of them that is. Not that there’s anything wrong with – oh God. “It’s – they make you look unbelievably hot. Can I say that to you? Ahh, crap. I just said that part out loud didn’t I?”

He watches in amusement as she keeps going without showing any signs of slowing down.

“I have a tattoo too. I’ll tell you about mine if you tell me about yours. But you don’t have to. They just look so intricate and – did that one hurt? Fuck, I can’t seem to shut up. Sorry, shutting up and –”

“Baby, breathe.” Andy is suddenly in front of her, his big, warm hands going to gently grip her biceps. “There you go. Good girl.” He praises as he pulls her down onto the bed. 

“Sorry,” she mumbles, unconsciously burying her face in the crook of his neck. 

“Don’t be, Y/N.” He coos softly before repositioning their bodies so that they’re relaxing comfortably. “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. Hell, I’ll even talk you to sleep if you want…”

Pulling away slightly, she gives him a soft look. “Did you just offer to tell me a bedtime story, Andy?”

“I did, so get comfy and I’ll tell you all about this one right here.” Gripping her much smaller hand in his, he helps her fingers trace the artwork marking his right pectoral. Her eyelids droop as he begins to speak. “So, I got this one when I traveled to…” Andy allows his own fingers to thread themselves through her curls as he soothes her to sleep. 

“Good night, Big Man.” She murmurs as she drifts off. 

“Good night, Sweet Girl.” He whispers back. 

END  

[zeydaan-isabella]

Cibo Per la Mente

Commission for theentirebeemoviescript and EarthWolder (with a story by them)

The fancy restaurant that 03 had reserved was crowded at this time of the evening, when the sunshine glinted throughout the city, bouncing from window to window, building to building, reflecting off of the great obelisks of the city. People thronged the ground and upper floors, quietly talking with one another. Their clothing reflected the general atmosphere of the place: refined, lively, elegant. She had to do some research beforehand, look the place up, download a small slideshow regarding table manners off of the internet... She sat, sorting through additional bureaucratic work, files, reports, while she waited, attempting to be efficient and divert her processing power to somewhere productive instead of prowling the possibilities for the nine hundredth time. Hopefully her outfit was suitable for this place. Formalities beyond company protocol were unfamiliar to her, and, truthfully, she had pulled this out of "her" old closet.  The dress did not belong to this iteration of her, and, despite the slight aesthetic changes between chassis, it still fit her. Her facial recognition scanners had detected familiarity and animosity within the employee at the door, but he had held his tongue for whatever reason. Perhaps politeness. She checked her internal clock again - 18:29. They were scheduled for 18:30. Hopefully her appointment would show up on time. From what she had heard, 03 was very busy, busier than she was, ever since Project Golem had been initiated. Perhaps something had came up. Saving the world was a very important job.  She stared at the burning candelabra that sat in the middle of the table set for two, watching the flame burn down. The waiter, an older trans-human hare, came around and placed a menu in front of her, smiling warmly. She stared flatly at it for a moment, realizing that she needed to order something - that was what you did at restaurants. "Ma'am? What can I get you to drink?" "Well... I, er, I would like to have-" "It wouldn't happen to be ginger ale, would it?" "...Yes, ginger ale, please." "Very well. You remind me of someone I used to know," he said, nodding as he jotted the item down and walked off. She did not know what ginger ale was, but that was secondary. How many people had she known before?! It was getting difficult to keep track... "Are you going to order me something as well?" A deep, calm voice asked from the other side of the table. Paige instantly shot upright as she heard it, her combat module coming online for a brief moment, before she saw who it was. She let out a soft sigh. "Ah, 03, I apologize, I did not detect you there... forgive me." She said meekly, lowering her head. The dragon, clad in scales of onyx, was already in her seat, with no indication or trace of how she got there, legs crossed politely as she opened up the menu and began purveying it. "There is nothing to apologize for," she responded, curtly, flipping a page in her menu, "Your hostile engagement protocol wouldn't help you, either. They designed it off of data they collected from me."  "O-oh, I was not aware of that... I'm not aware of a lot of things, actually," She admitted, casting her gaze off to the side. 03 had come in modest clothing - brand-new dress pants, flats, and a rather nice sweater, even though it was a warm night. "I know." "..." "That's why we're here, isn't it?" "Well, yes." "Good, you remember that. So there's no anterograde memory loss so far." She felt almost insulted. She was naive, yes, but that just seemed outright stupid to consider. "I've been online for a couple of months now, I think that if there was any signs of memory issues, they would have detected it." "Are you sure? The last time you were having issues, we didn't know until it was too late." "What are you talking about?" The robot retorted, her expression dampening. "Are you talking about Mk. 1?" "Keep it down. Don't go talking about classified terms like that. You have a library of sensitive keywords regarding company information, don't you?"  "I do, but I thought that because it was you-" The stoic woman suddenly cut her off with the same tone of voice that she had been speaking with the entire time. "This is a public place. It does not matter who I am. There are ears everywhere, and some may belong to our enemies. It is important that we follow privacy policy to a tee." Her facial recognition scanners revealed nothing, as her face barely moved beyond what was necessary to speak and breathe. She could barely even tell when her eyes would move - they would looking in one direction, and then suddenly be turned on her. "...You are correct," she admitted, balked. She opened her beak, but her words ceased like sand through glass. What was the point of their meeting here if they could not speak about what had happened? What use was the past if it could not shine light on the present? The waiter came back after a notable silence, setting her drink down. The glass fizzed as he pulled out a notepad. "So what will it be for you ladies?" Her host spoke up. "Ribeye. Rare, please. I would also like to order the bottle of wine." Paige's internal dialogue gave way to minor panic, as she realized that she had neglected to find anything to order. Her eyes darted from the words on the menu, some in Italian, food that she was quickly searching for on the internet, to the person across the table, to up at the waiter. "Uh, I will, er, I want to order the... uh..." "Oh, wait, let me guess again," the waiter jumped in, his face growing mirthful at the challenge, "you want the-" "-squid ink spaghetti." 03 finished, not looking up from the menu. "Hey, how'd you guess, heh heh?" He turned to face the bird. "Is that it?" She nodded. "Yes, that sounds good," she agreed, folding her menu and handing it to the waiter. 03 did the same. "I'll let the chefs know, and I'll get you your drink." he said, and left them to their own selves once again. The musicians began to play from downstairs, directly below the balcony that they were sitting on. Violins, drawing their bows, the soft notes of a piano, the gentle howling of a saxophone... a soft breeze blew over the outdoor seating, the flames of the candles flickering and dancing under its strain. The tune was faintly familiar, but again, what wasn't? Soon enough, she began to attempt piecing the melody together, without looking it up. "...among the stars... dun dun... in other words..." "Your favorite song," she told her. "I thought you would appreciate it. I had it organized in advance." "I can recall something similar to it on the edges of my hard drives. How did you know? And about the food, too?" "I bet a lot of things feel that way, don't they? We tried to salvage you. You should have seen the state that you were in." Her heart began to drop, just as her hopes began to rise. Was this how Clawed Hand members spoke to each other? A looming sense of dread lingered, but she kept listening attentively. "They do." "Your processors were almost entirely melted. But before that, most of the data had been heavily and irreversibly corrupted. I can't tell you how much of 'you' was left, but I doubt it was much. Maybe a few core memories, basic information, a variety of scraps about your life. No one can really say now, though, and it's not like the specifics matter anymore. But we wound up having to leave your body behind. I don't know where it is."  "My data was corrupted? But they told me that I was equipped with the best redundancies and fail-safes they have." "You do, and you did back then, too. The problem was that you have something very, very important inside of you. I'm sure you know what it is - your soul, but something else also. You had been tampered with in such a way that gave your system access to very, very dangerous data. Information potent enough that it would destroy you, which it did." Listening to the dragon speak was like reading a history textbook about her own life. Only a computer, and not the kind she was, could present information like this in such a flat and steady manner. "The person that tampered with you was someone very close to you," she continued, nodding to the server as he placed a bottle of wine in front of her. She poured herself a glass of the thick, dark red liquid, peering into it. "I won't go into detail about them, or why they did it. But they worked for us. They actually helped bring our mutual friend into existence. That was around the time they tampered with you, I believe. Are you going to take a drink from your cup before it gets cold?" Paige realized she had been staring wide-eyed at 03 for the past 10 minutes or so, and moved to tilt the soda back into her mouth. As the taste hit her tongue, and her sensory processors got to work, her expression brightened, and she flinched a little bit. It was really good, if a little sour when cold. "Okay, please, proceed." "When you started to show problems, they took you and ran off with you. When we tracked you down, you were borderline non-functional. They still fought us anyways. They were strong, too. They still are, if not more so. We almost died. You actually died. We had to leave your corpse and take out that very special thing." "I... see," she said, checking her task manager - sure enough, the program Oracle had sent her was running. She let out a small sigh. This was a lot, but she could handle it. "...are they still... looking for me? Actively pursuing me?" "Maybe. We have an issue with our recon, well, two of them, really. Namely, the first is that they are proficient in the invisible arts, so they have ways around our information-gathering alternatives. Secondly, they always seem to have more intel than we do, so, even by the time we figure something out about them, chances are they're already several steps ahead. It's to such a degree that it renders most of what we do have useless." "So there is a chance that they could still be?" 03 nodded, but hesitated for a moment afterwards. "...affirmative. We feel that, if they were, though, they would have acted already. For the moment, they seem to be content to remain in the shadows and linger. However... we have reason to believe that they are associated with the megafauna incidents in one way or another." There was an awkward silence as the waiter brought them back their food, wishing them a nice meal. The blackened noodles sat in front of her. Should she even bother? A deep pit had opened up at the bottom of her chassis. Eating this would barely even nourish her. What was the point? She'd be better off hiding in a bunker somewhere, remaining plugged into a charging cable, and doing her paperwork digitally.  Looking up, 03 was meticulously cutting her steak into geometric cubes, working through and dividing the entire thing apart before even beginning to eat. And, despite all of the things she had said, the bad news she'd dropped, and everything else she'd seen... she ate, anyways. Paige knew how 03 operated. She had seen the Soulstorm. It was only once, but... she had seen it. There was as much a purpose to her steak as there was her own spaghetti. And yet, she ate. Paige tightened her grip on the fork, and stuck it into the wiggly mass, twisting it decisively a few times. Pulling the food into her mouth, she clamped her beak around it. It was a new flavour, unfamiliar and odd-tasting, and bitterer than she'd hoped, but it was unique, all on it's own. More than that, it surprised her; it was interesting - she found herself taking another bite for its own sake. If 03 could eat, then, she could too, and if she could eat, then she could do other things... she had only been around for such a little while. Hell, she had been around for much longer, two whole lifetimes, at least. Her memory was the issue - she had only seen a small snippet. If she could survive and fill her home with all those little touches, and hell, make it into a home, then... she could do it again.  She took another bite, and then another, making sure to taste the food, every last bit, and swallow it down. It was surprisingly visceral, cathartic, in a sense. The energy stored in the chemical bonds as not necessary for her to live. But it felt nice to partake in the tradition of survival, as old as life itself. "Paige." She suddenly stopped, looking up at Reaver. A light flush covered her facial display as she realized she had been horking down her food with little to no care for her manners, in this upper-class place. "You... you have not addressed me by code-name before."  "It's not a code name. That's your name - Paige. It seems terse to refer to you as 01. I was expecting you to correct me at one point or another." "Why would I do that? You are the superior ranked officer." "We aren't on duty right now. And you insisted that I call you by your name before." "Am I supposed to now?" "No, not unless you would like to." Reaver paused for a moment, opening her mouth for a moment, then closing it, then waiting some more. Her eyes were fixed on the vase of flowers. "But I would like to get to know you better. We both know you are not the same as you were before. That cannot change. But we may enter into a first name basis, may we not?" Paige's flush deepened a couple of hex codes - another new emotion. "Well, I would like that, yes... it was very nice of you to take me here, and agree to help me... it would be the least I can do, Reaver." For the first time that night, she found herself smiling, even if it was meek and sheepish. "Good." the dragoness responded, finishing off her meal. "It's good to see you again. I've been busy lately, and... there aren't many people to talk to. At least, there aren't many people that I can talk to. It may have been self-serving, but I think it was always a mutually beneficial arrangement that we had." "You mean being friends?" "If that's what you want to call it." "That's what they told me we were." "They know nothing of us." Her mouth curled upwards some more, and she put her hand up in front of her beak to try and hide it. "If you say so." "How childish of you." "I have only been alive for a few months now, Reaver. You must forgive me if I have not learned exactly how to act yet." Her companion just shot her a shimmering emerald glare, her tail tapping once against the wooden floor below. ...until she let out a small burp, stifled through her clenched jaw. When Paige began giggling, she just looked to the side, those bejewled eyes locking onto the waiter as he walked past, nearly freezing him in his tracks. "Give me the check. Now." "Is something wrong, Reaver? Did you meat your food too fast or something?" Paige added, nearly on the verge of cracking up. "You obviously need more time to refine your sense of humor, if you think that is even remotely funny." The bird looked up at the waiter as he set the small leather booklet down in front of Reaver's imposing figure and disapproving glare. His head was turned away from her, presumably so she wouldn't catch him biting his lip at her reaction to the pun. She flicked it open, sliding her credits chip into the book and scribbling a signature so hard it had to have bled through the paper. "I think my sense of humor is fine just where it is, Reaver. Yours is the one that seems like it could use an update to be more inclusive." "You think you can talk to me that way?" "You are the one who wanted me to be on a first name basis with you. Is this not what you had in mind?" The dragon furrowed her eyes, closing them for a moment and taking a deep breath. "Perhaps I was romanticizing things. You could be worse than 05 sometimes. I remember that now." "Does that mean that I have not changed much?" "It does mean that... for better or for worse," she admitted, nearly snatching the card back from the waiter and tucking it away in some hidden tactical pocket or other. She stood up, pushing her chair back in, and looked down at Paige. Her cold glare had softened some, as well as her sour look. "You're still you, even after everything, it seems -  that's quite the achievement. Perhaps you'll outlive us all. Make sure you do your job until then, though. I will be in touch if the time is right for us to speak again. And... don't go looking into this person any more. The situation is not ideal, but I promise you, we will protect you. Those are my orders, and the orders of our co-workers as well." Paige nodded, leaning back in her seat and gently folding her hands on her lap. "I will not. I trust that you have it all under control." She took a step back, and then another, placing a hand upon the railing. "Farewell, then." "Good bye, Reaver." And, in the blink of an eye, she was gone, and Paige was alone again. Although... perhaps alone was not the right word, for better or for worse. For now, though, she tapped on the table, quietly singing along with the music. She had the social graces of a brick, but... Reaver wasn't that bad, after all.

20 years. 20 years she has been running. Hiding. Planning. She followed behind Paige, a good 20 meters away. Not that she needed to. She could be right in front of Paige and she wouldn't notice. But that's not a good idea. That close? What would she do? She shakes her head, hooves against the pavement as she keeps following. She watches Paige enter the restaurant, while she waits, leaned up against the wall. She can see just fine through the window, and her earing is good enough now that she can hear anything she says, even out here. This restaurant... How many times had they gone there? How long have they spent eating and talking while the music plays? That one time they got in a fight... Ah, memories. Of course, she knew she wouldn't feel those feelings again in a long, long time. And this. This wasn't Paige. She already knew. She already saw her die, yet something almost identical to her walks around. Lives in her apartment. Wears her clothes. Sounds and acts like Paige. But it's not. She watches as the thing that looked like Paige sits down and orders. Ginger Ale, just like every single time. Her hands clench into a fist as she came in. "The bitch..." she thought, watching Reaver sit down and start talking. "Are you going to order me something as well?" "Ah, 03, I apologize, I did not detect you there... forgive me."  Her hand bleeds as fresh scars open up from the force of her clenching. She takes a deep breath for but a moment and calms down. Not here. Not now. Mark One... Is that what they call her now? The real Paige? It's pathetic. They think they can just... do that to a person? This isn't right. If she wanted, she could jump in right now, skewer Reaver with her blade right in the head and run back, never to be found. She tries to calm herself down again. It works, but nowhere near as much. "This is a public place. It does not matter who I am. There are ears everywhere, and some may belong to our enemies. It is important that we follow privacy policy to a tee." Oh, if only she knew just how right she is. Squid ink spaghetti. She really is a copy of the original, even if she doesn't know why she picked it. The two talk about what happened to the original Paige, the real one. Then, about her. "Someone close"... A bit of an understatement. And that word. Tampered. As if she did something wrong. It wasn't her fault. She did everything right. How could she have known? He's the one in the wrong, not her. She was- "So there is a chance that they could still be?" Her hand loosens, heart dropping. Why does it care? Why does it matter if she's following this damn fake thing around, every week, watching and listening, wishing she could just have another single moment with the one person she truly cared for and that she- She... She holds her tears back. That was enough for now. She turns away, the ripped lab coat flowing a bit as she does. Her eyes are due for a replacement. She'll have to do something sooner or later. Good to know Reaver's payload is still active, even after all this time hidden inside those poisonous tissues.